I am driving back to Port Charlotte. Pray we get there safely and pray that our car makes it. :)
I will post more comments about this passage whenever I get home!
Genesis 23
1 Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.
2 So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
3 Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,
4 “I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
5 And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,
6 “Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.”
7 Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth.
8 And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me,
9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you.”
10 Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying,
11 “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!”
12 Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land;
13 and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.”
14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
15 “My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.”
16 And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.
17 So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded
18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.
19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
20 So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.
I will post more later, but I want to say this: I think a great message that we learn is the way that Abraham responded during a VERY Difficult and emotional time of his life. In spite of all of his heartache he still responded Godly, and honorable.
Abraham made sure that He paid for the land instead of taking advantage of the situation.
FRIDAY, September 5th, 2008
Hey Everyone! Todays passage is the same passage that I preached on Wednesday night!! Hopefully you were listening on Wednesday and you are already somwehat familiar with the story here of Abraham and Isaac.
Genesis 22
1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”And he said, “Here I am.”
2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad[a] and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”
6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.
7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.”
12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,
16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—
17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
The Family of Nahor
20 Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, “Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:
21 Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,
22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”
23 And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah.
Wow! Do you like to take tests? I do not. Many of you have already taken tests even this week, maybe even today. Well, in this passage God gave Ambraham a test! The test was this: Give up your son as a sacrifice to me.
What!!! God you want me to take my son, MY ONLY SON, and offer him as a burnt offering. I hope that the same thing is never asked of me... I am scared to think if I would respond like Abraham or not.
What a hard thing to do... Be willing to obey God even to the point of the Death of your SON!!! It is clear Abraham really loved God.
Think about this: something I did not even mention on Wednesday night: Do you know anyone else that gave their only son to die, in a way that proved their love?
How about John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that He gave his only beggotten son. That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have ever lasting life.
Abraham and Isaac were such a beautiful picture of God and Jesus Christ. we say it is obvious how much Abraham loved God because He was willing to give up his son... well think about how much God loves you. He was willing to give up his perfect son, to die on a cross, for you.
Well, there is one other point in this passage that I want to mention. Abraham said to his servants: Me and the boy shall return. HOW DID ABRAHAM KNOW THAT GOD WOULD LET ISAAC LIVE? Because God had given Abraham a promise, and Abraham believed it.
God has promised so much to you and I as well, but you will not know the promises if you are not listeneningto Gods voice through the reading of his word. God spoke to Abraham audibly and he speaks to us through his word... Will you agree with me when I remind you how important it it for us to be in God's Word...
If we aren't then we will not know God's promises and that will make it harder to trust Him, because we don't know what He has told us.
I am up in Jacksonville right now. Having a great time! I hope that you are all doing wonderful down there in Port Charlotte. I will be home tomorrow! See you in church on Sunday!
Genesis 22
1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”And he said, “Here I am.”
2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad[a] and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”
6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.
7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.”
12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,
16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—
17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
The Family of Nahor
20 Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, “Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:
21 Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,
22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”
23 And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah.
Wow! Do you like to take tests? I do not. Many of you have already taken tests even this week, maybe even today. Well, in this passage God gave Ambraham a test! The test was this: Give up your son as a sacrifice to me.
What!!! God you want me to take my son, MY ONLY SON, and offer him as a burnt offering. I hope that the same thing is never asked of me... I am scared to think if I would respond like Abraham or not.
What a hard thing to do... Be willing to obey God even to the point of the Death of your SON!!! It is clear Abraham really loved God.
Think about this: something I did not even mention on Wednesday night: Do you know anyone else that gave their only son to die, in a way that proved their love?
How about John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that He gave his only beggotten son. That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have ever lasting life.
Abraham and Isaac were such a beautiful picture of God and Jesus Christ. we say it is obvious how much Abraham loved God because He was willing to give up his son... well think about how much God loves you. He was willing to give up his perfect son, to die on a cross, for you.
Well, there is one other point in this passage that I want to mention. Abraham said to his servants: Me and the boy shall return. HOW DID ABRAHAM KNOW THAT GOD WOULD LET ISAAC LIVE? Because God had given Abraham a promise, and Abraham believed it.
God has promised so much to you and I as well, but you will not know the promises if you are not listeneningto Gods voice through the reading of his word. God spoke to Abraham audibly and he speaks to us through his word... Will you agree with me when I remind you how important it it for us to be in God's Word...
If we aren't then we will not know God's promises and that will make it harder to trust Him, because we don't know what He has told us.
I am up in Jacksonville right now. Having a great time! I hope that you are all doing wonderful down there in Port Charlotte. I will be home tomorrow! See you in church on Sunday!
THURSDAY, September 4th, 2008
What a wonderful evening we had last night! I enjoyed it thoroughly! Everything from the Ninja Warrior opening, to our very own personal Suncoast Youth Ninja Warrior, to the message about how Abraham was proved his love to God by obeying God and Trusting God! We must do the same!
Many of you were extremely transparent in your devotions yesterday. I am very thankful for that! Several of you mentioned how hard it is to stay faithful in your devotions. I agree. I have never been as faithful in my devotions in my life as I am at this moment.
I would encourage you to make it your first priority. Write it on your hand. Really meditate on the passage! any and ALL THE ABOVE are so important to maintain a faithful time in Gods Word!!
1 And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.
2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac.
4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6 And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.”
7 She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”
Hagar and Ishmael Depart
8 So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.
9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.
10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.”
11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son.
12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.
13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”
14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.
15 And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs.
16 Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.
18 Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.”
19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.
20 So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
21 He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
A Covenant with Abimelech
22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do.
23 Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.”
24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.”
25 Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized.
26 And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.”
27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.
28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
29 Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”
30 And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.”
31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.
32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.
33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.
This is a very busy chapter, and there are some VERY Important situations that we should take note of.
Although there are many different applications in this chapter, I want to look at two main points. First I want you to understand verses 8-20. WOW! This is incredible! Do you remember Ishmael? He is the son that Abraham had with Sarahs bondservant (Hagar). Well, If you remember correctly I explained that Ishmael is the direct ancestor to the modern day Arab people...
Isaac was the chosen son to carry on the lineage of Christ, but Ishmael was the son a a servant and He would be cast out of the family.
Have you ever seen Drama in your life? Well, I am sure that you have... I think it is interesting that we see Drama even here in the first book of the Bible. Let me explain: Verse 9 says that Sarah saw Hagar scoffing, or making fun of Her and her son Isaac... [ just so you know... dont ever mock the woman of the house... that is not a smart thing to do! [Trust Me!] :)
Well Sarah did not like that and so she kicked Hagaar out of their home. Hagaar left and had no place to go. She literally thought that she was going to die from dehydration in the middle of the desert. Hagar even went to the point of placing Ishmael under a bush to die so that she would not have to watch him die. THAT IS HEARTBREAKING!!
To be completely transparent, I will say this, but I want you to understand this is how deceitful the flesh is... My flesh tells me that it would not have been a bad thing to have Ishmael die right there under that bush, because then we would not have all of this global conflict between the Arab nations and the rest of the world. But THAT IS WRONG. Let me share the reason why: God, had mercy on Ishamel. God Loved Ishmael. God still loves Ishmaels descendants today.
There is a passage in the book of Colossians that says: Yes! God loves the chosen ones, but He also loves the sons of the bondservants. Who are we to judge them!
If God loves them, then we should love them as well and strive to share the gospel with the Arab nations and the Muslim nations around the world today.
I could go on and on about that, but I won't. I will just make all of my thoughts clear with this one sentance: If God loves and died for ALL MANKIND, then who am I to pick and choose who I like, and who I want to get saved, and who I want to go to Heaven. That is not my choice!
The second and final thought I want to share with you is this: Abraham could not be trusted by the King. Why? Because he was already dishonest. Abraham lost his character and integrity because of that decision. The results: It made it harder for people to believe him later on in life.
Be honest all the time, then you do not need to promise because the world will know that whatever you say is always the truth... The Bible puts it this way: Let your yay be yay and your nay be nay.
Be Honest!
I hope you got as much out of this passage as I did.... make sure you come back on tomorrow because it will be a great study on Abraham and Isaac. It is the same passage that I preached on last night about Abrahams trial in offering up Isaac for a sacrifice.
Many of you were extremely transparent in your devotions yesterday. I am very thankful for that! Several of you mentioned how hard it is to stay faithful in your devotions. I agree. I have never been as faithful in my devotions in my life as I am at this moment.
I would encourage you to make it your first priority. Write it on your hand. Really meditate on the passage! any and ALL THE ABOVE are so important to maintain a faithful time in Gods Word!!
1 And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.
2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac.
4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6 And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.”
7 She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”
Hagar and Ishmael Depart
8 So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.
9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.
10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.”
11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son.
12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.
13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”
14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.
15 And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs.
16 Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.
18 Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.”
19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.
20 So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
21 He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
A Covenant with Abimelech
22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do.
23 Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.”
24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.”
25 Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized.
26 And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.”
27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.
28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
29 Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”
30 And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.”
31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.
32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.
33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.
This is a very busy chapter, and there are some VERY Important situations that we should take note of.
Although there are many different applications in this chapter, I want to look at two main points. First I want you to understand verses 8-20. WOW! This is incredible! Do you remember Ishmael? He is the son that Abraham had with Sarahs bondservant (Hagar). Well, If you remember correctly I explained that Ishmael is the direct ancestor to the modern day Arab people...
Isaac was the chosen son to carry on the lineage of Christ, but Ishmael was the son a a servant and He would be cast out of the family.
Have you ever seen Drama in your life? Well, I am sure that you have... I think it is interesting that we see Drama even here in the first book of the Bible. Let me explain: Verse 9 says that Sarah saw Hagar scoffing, or making fun of Her and her son Isaac... [ just so you know... dont ever mock the woman of the house... that is not a smart thing to do! [Trust Me!] :)
Well Sarah did not like that and so she kicked Hagaar out of their home. Hagaar left and had no place to go. She literally thought that she was going to die from dehydration in the middle of the desert. Hagar even went to the point of placing Ishmael under a bush to die so that she would not have to watch him die. THAT IS HEARTBREAKING!!
To be completely transparent, I will say this, but I want you to understand this is how deceitful the flesh is... My flesh tells me that it would not have been a bad thing to have Ishmael die right there under that bush, because then we would not have all of this global conflict between the Arab nations and the rest of the world. But THAT IS WRONG. Let me share the reason why: God, had mercy on Ishamel. God Loved Ishmael. God still loves Ishmaels descendants today.
There is a passage in the book of Colossians that says: Yes! God loves the chosen ones, but He also loves the sons of the bondservants. Who are we to judge them!
If God loves them, then we should love them as well and strive to share the gospel with the Arab nations and the Muslim nations around the world today.
I could go on and on about that, but I won't. I will just make all of my thoughts clear with this one sentance: If God loves and died for ALL MANKIND, then who am I to pick and choose who I like, and who I want to get saved, and who I want to go to Heaven. That is not my choice!
The second and final thought I want to share with you is this: Abraham could not be trusted by the King. Why? Because he was already dishonest. Abraham lost his character and integrity because of that decision. The results: It made it harder for people to believe him later on in life.
Be honest all the time, then you do not need to promise because the world will know that whatever you say is always the truth... The Bible puts it this way: Let your yay be yay and your nay be nay.
Be Honest!
I hope you got as much out of this passage as I did.... make sure you come back on tomorrow because it will be a great study on Abraham and Isaac. It is the same passage that I preached on last night about Abrahams trial in offering up Isaac for a sacrifice.
WEDNESDAY, September 3rd, 2008
See you in church tonight for our NINJA WARRIOR SERIES!!!!!!!
Genesis 20
1 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar.
2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”
4 But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also?
5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”
6 And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.
7 Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”
8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid.
9 And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.”
10 Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?”
11 And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.
12 But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”
14 Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him.
15 And Abimelech said, “See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.”
16 Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you[a] before all who are with you and before everybody.” Thus she was rebuked.
17 So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children;
18 for the LORD had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Wow! De Javu'!!
Can you believe that Abraham tried that "sister" thing again!!! This man literally gave his wife to two different kings because He was affraid that the king would kill him. Have you ever sinned, then repented and then sinned again? I have. I am much more like Abraham than I would like to admit in this regard.
There have been many times in my life where I sin against God and then I ask for forgiveness, and then the next thing I know I am sinning again. Just as it made Abraham look really dumb, it makes me look very dumb when I sin, repent, and sin again.
Did you notice what else Abraham did? He tried to justify his sin! Unbelievable! Abraham literally said: well, she is king of my sister... we have the same father!!
Abraham! Dont justify your sin! Pastor Lee, Dont justify your sin!! That makes it even worse: When I justify my sin, then I am trying to excuse it, or act like it is not my fault... HOWEVER, WHEN YOU OR I SIN IT IS OUR OWN CHOICE AND OUR OWN FAULT.
The sin was not telling everyone that Sarah was his sister, because that was partially true: The sin was not trusting God enough to believe that God would take care of Him...
There is this song that says: Do right till the stars fall!! That should be our motto... even if it is scary and we might get killed (that is what Abraham thought) we must still obey God and DO RIGHT!!!
TUESDAY, September 2nd, 2008
Hey Everyone! I must tell you, I just spent about an hour figuring out who is qualifying for our devotional trip and I am very very encouraged!! You guys are great! Keep up the good work.
There are 8 people qualified, and 4 more people just a few away!!
Although I do agree with Rachel, I will post the results anyway. Remember if you do your devotions everyday, then there is no doubt in whether you will qualify or not! :)
Here is the List: [the dates you missed are in the brackets]
Rachel Mace: 100% AWESOME JOB!!!
Michael Stratton: 100% AWESOME JOB!!!
Tyler King: 94% [16th]
Ryan West: 94% [16th]
Amy Russell: 94% [27th]
Bethany Barnthouse: 89% [27th, 29th]
Mallory Burton: 89% [19th, 22nd]
Tricia Russell: 89% [24th, 1st]
Jessica Massey: 84% [14th, 25th, 29th]
Kacey Lockhart: 84% [29th, 30th, 31st]
Jonathan Massey: 78% [16th, 22nd, 25th, 28th]
Bethany Fletcher: 78% [26th, 29th, 30th, 1st]
LET ME KNOW IF YOU MAKE ANY UP... Those of you who are one or two devotions behind right now, will still easily qualify if you do not miss any days from now till the 20th. Thank you!
WOW!!!!!!! If there has ever been a Rated R devotional passage... this is it. Read this and observe how far sin will take you... It will take you farther than you ever thought you would go!!
Sex, Scandal, Incest, Homosexuality, Riots, Destruction, a woman even turns to salt!! This sounds just like a movie trailer or something!! Not Quite! Just a description of the passage you are about to read!
Genesis 19
1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.
2 And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.”And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”
3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.
5 And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”
6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him,
7 and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!
8 See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”
9 And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door.
10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
11 And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place!
13 For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.
15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.”
16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”
18 Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords!
19 Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die.
20 See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”
21 And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.
22 Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.
25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD.
28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace.
29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.
The Descendants of Lot
30 Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.
31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth.
32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.”
33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
34 It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.”
35 Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.
37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.
38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.
Wow! Can you believe what you have just read? I bet you did not realize you would ever read that in the Bible...
In the first part of this passage we see two angels go into the city of Sodom, these angels end up staying the night at Lot's house. After a while passes by, there is a riot of people outside the doors of Lots house and they are about to pound the door down, because they want to "commit homosexual acts" with these two angels!!
Lot steps outside to tell them to leave and Lot is so pathetic that He offers his two virgin daughters to this group of perverts so that they can "do as they wish" with his daughters!!!! Lot was willing to give up his pure daughters to this crowd of wicked fools!!
say it with me: SIN MAKES YOU STUPID!!!!!! [if I remember correctly this all started with Lot picking an area of Land so that He could SEE Sodom, not live in it... Look how far sin has taken him now]
Well, the riotous men are so perverted that they dont even want the two young virgin daughters, instead they begin trying to beat the door down...
The two angels tell Lot to get his family and tell them that Gods judgment will fall on the city... this part is so sad! Look what happens... Even Lots own children do not believe their father... He hash such a low reputation of Character and Integrity, that even his children do not believe him.
Well, because of Lots' lack of integrity, some of his family would not even leave Sodom, and they were destroyed. Lot and his wife and two of his daughters left the city... As they were leaving the angels told them not to look back or they would be punished.
When you get rid of sin in your life, you CANNOT KEEP LOOKING BACK AT IT!! YOU MUST LEAVE IT AND NEVER GO BACK! When you look back towards it, you are showing your love, and your fleshly desires for that sin... Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of Salt...
So is there a happy ending? They got out of the city alive! (well some of them) What happens next... the daughters decide that they want to carry the family line on to future generations, so they get their father LOT drunk, and both daughters give away their virginity TO THEIR FATHER...
Pastor Lee, why are you explaining this so specifically? BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO SEE THAT WHEN WE LIVE FOR THE WORLD IT WILL DESTROY US! Lot made a decision to get too close to sin, and it destroyed EVERYTHING HE HAD. It destroyed his family, his potential, his influence, his legacy... ALL OF IT WAS GONE, BECAUSE OF HIS SIN...
Satan wants you to think that sin is exciting... that is why He will get a song on the radio that talks all about two girls "kissing" and liking it... BUT YOU MUST REMEMBER: The end of Sin is DEATH!! Destruction! and Speparation from God! Wow! What a great passage!
There are 8 people qualified, and 4 more people just a few away!!
Although I do agree with Rachel, I will post the results anyway. Remember if you do your devotions everyday, then there is no doubt in whether you will qualify or not! :)
Here is the List: [the dates you missed are in the brackets]
Rachel Mace: 100% AWESOME JOB!!!
Michael Stratton: 100% AWESOME JOB!!!
Tyler King: 94% [16th]
Ryan West: 94% [16th]
Amy Russell: 94% [27th]
Bethany Barnthouse: 89% [27th, 29th]
Mallory Burton: 89% [19th, 22nd]
Tricia Russell: 89% [24th, 1st]
Jessica Massey: 84% [14th, 25th, 29th]
Kacey Lockhart: 84% [29th, 30th, 31st]
Jonathan Massey: 78% [16th, 22nd, 25th, 28th]
Bethany Fletcher: 78% [26th, 29th, 30th, 1st]
LET ME KNOW IF YOU MAKE ANY UP... Those of you who are one or two devotions behind right now, will still easily qualify if you do not miss any days from now till the 20th. Thank you!
WOW!!!!!!! If there has ever been a Rated R devotional passage... this is it. Read this and observe how far sin will take you... It will take you farther than you ever thought you would go!!
Sex, Scandal, Incest, Homosexuality, Riots, Destruction, a woman even turns to salt!! This sounds just like a movie trailer or something!! Not Quite! Just a description of the passage you are about to read!
Genesis 19
1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.
2 And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.”And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”
3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.
5 And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”
6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him,
7 and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!
8 See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”
9 And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door.
10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
11 And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place!
13 For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.
15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.”
16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”
18 Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords!
19 Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die.
20 See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”
21 And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.
22 Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.
25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD.
28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace.
29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.
The Descendants of Lot
30 Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.
31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth.
32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.”
33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
34 It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.”
35 Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.
37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.
38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.
Wow! Can you believe what you have just read? I bet you did not realize you would ever read that in the Bible...
In the first part of this passage we see two angels go into the city of Sodom, these angels end up staying the night at Lot's house. After a while passes by, there is a riot of people outside the doors of Lots house and they are about to pound the door down, because they want to "commit homosexual acts" with these two angels!!
Lot steps outside to tell them to leave and Lot is so pathetic that He offers his two virgin daughters to this group of perverts so that they can "do as they wish" with his daughters!!!! Lot was willing to give up his pure daughters to this crowd of wicked fools!!
say it with me: SIN MAKES YOU STUPID!!!!!! [if I remember correctly this all started with Lot picking an area of Land so that He could SEE Sodom, not live in it... Look how far sin has taken him now]
Well, the riotous men are so perverted that they dont even want the two young virgin daughters, instead they begin trying to beat the door down...
The two angels tell Lot to get his family and tell them that Gods judgment will fall on the city... this part is so sad! Look what happens... Even Lots own children do not believe their father... He hash such a low reputation of Character and Integrity, that even his children do not believe him.
Well, because of Lots' lack of integrity, some of his family would not even leave Sodom, and they were destroyed. Lot and his wife and two of his daughters left the city... As they were leaving the angels told them not to look back or they would be punished.
When you get rid of sin in your life, you CANNOT KEEP LOOKING BACK AT IT!! YOU MUST LEAVE IT AND NEVER GO BACK! When you look back towards it, you are showing your love, and your fleshly desires for that sin... Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of Salt...
So is there a happy ending? They got out of the city alive! (well some of them) What happens next... the daughters decide that they want to carry the family line on to future generations, so they get their father LOT drunk, and both daughters give away their virginity TO THEIR FATHER...
Pastor Lee, why are you explaining this so specifically? BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO SEE THAT WHEN WE LIVE FOR THE WORLD IT WILL DESTROY US! Lot made a decision to get too close to sin, and it destroyed EVERYTHING HE HAD. It destroyed his family, his potential, his influence, his legacy... ALL OF IT WAS GONE, BECAUSE OF HIS SIN...
Satan wants you to think that sin is exciting... that is why He will get a song on the radio that talks all about two girls "kissing" and liking it... BUT YOU MUST REMEMBER: The end of Sin is DEATH!! Destruction! and Speparation from God! Wow! What a great passage!
MONDAY, September 1st, 2008
Hey Guys! I have already typed a bunch today, because this is a long passage... so I will not write much more up here, I don't want to give you too much reading! This is a great passage! Make sure you take the time to read it thoroughly and grasp it!
Genesis 18
1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,
3 and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.
4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.”They said, “Do as you have said.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.”
7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it.
8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.”
10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
13 And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’
14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom
16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.
17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
20 And the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,
21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.
23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?
25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
26 So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord:
28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”
29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”
30 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”
33 So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
Wow! I really hope that you took the time to read this a truly grasp what is being said. There are two stories going on here, first. The Lord reminds Abraham that He and Sarah will have a son... Guess who is laughing now!! Sarah! Unbelievable. But, I would probably be doing the same thing... I would probably be laughing histerically at the idea of having a child at the age of 90 as well.
Then God says: Hey Sarah, why are you laughing? Dont you believe me? And what does she say? I was not laughing!! Unbelievable!! We often do the same thing... We might get an attitude or something and then when someone comfronts us about it we say... WHAT!!!!!!! I DONT HAVE AN ATTITUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [could you sense the attitude in just the way it was typed?]
Well, let's trust God when He wants to do something great in our lives. I am reminded of the missionary last night. If they had responded to God the same way that Sarah and Abraham did, then they would have just laughed at God whenever He told them to go around the world to share the Gospel... Instead of laughing, they jumped into action, and made plans to go around the world to obey God!!
God will do great things through them, because they trusted and obeyed God enough to ACT instead of Laugh!
What has God been calling you to do, that may seem impossible?? Do you just say: "YEAH RIGHT" In your heart? or do you OBEY?
If God has laid missions on your heart! DO IT! If God has laid Bible College on your heart or mind: THEN GO!! Don't Hesitate! Just Obey!
The Second Story we see here is one of my favorite stories in the Bible! I love the fact that Abraham HUMBLY approached God and caused GOD to change His plans!! WOW!! Think about the power we have through prayer, we can ask God to change His plans, and He just might do it! He considered it when Abraham asked!!
God says that He will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham says: Will you kill all of the righteous in that city just to punish the wicked??? Then Abraham specifically gives God a number. If there are 50 righteous then will you spare the city??
First: I must say: It is natural for me to relate to Jonah, not Abraham... In my flesh I would rather see the Wicked Scorched instead of shown mercy. But I must remind myself that If it were not for God's mercy then I too would be scorched!!
Well, Abraham would have been a great car sales man, because He continues to try and negotiate with God. He says will you spare it for 45? 40? 30? 20? 10? and the story will ocntinue tomorrow... :) make sure you read it! It is pretty amazing!
TRUST GOD and HAVE MERCY on the people around you... AND PRAY... you never know what your conversation with God could change!
Genesis 18
1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,
3 and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.
4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.”They said, “Do as you have said.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.”
7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it.
8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.”
10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
13 And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’
14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom
16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.
17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
20 And the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,
21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.
23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?
25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
26 So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord:
28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”
29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”
30 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”
33 So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
Wow! I really hope that you took the time to read this a truly grasp what is being said. There are two stories going on here, first. The Lord reminds Abraham that He and Sarah will have a son... Guess who is laughing now!! Sarah! Unbelievable. But, I would probably be doing the same thing... I would probably be laughing histerically at the idea of having a child at the age of 90 as well.
Then God says: Hey Sarah, why are you laughing? Dont you believe me? And what does she say? I was not laughing!! Unbelievable!! We often do the same thing... We might get an attitude or something and then when someone comfronts us about it we say... WHAT!!!!!!! I DONT HAVE AN ATTITUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [could you sense the attitude in just the way it was typed?]
Well, let's trust God when He wants to do something great in our lives. I am reminded of the missionary last night. If they had responded to God the same way that Sarah and Abraham did, then they would have just laughed at God whenever He told them to go around the world to share the Gospel... Instead of laughing, they jumped into action, and made plans to go around the world to obey God!!
God will do great things through them, because they trusted and obeyed God enough to ACT instead of Laugh!
What has God been calling you to do, that may seem impossible?? Do you just say: "YEAH RIGHT" In your heart? or do you OBEY?
If God has laid missions on your heart! DO IT! If God has laid Bible College on your heart or mind: THEN GO!! Don't Hesitate! Just Obey!
The Second Story we see here is one of my favorite stories in the Bible! I love the fact that Abraham HUMBLY approached God and caused GOD to change His plans!! WOW!! Think about the power we have through prayer, we can ask God to change His plans, and He just might do it! He considered it when Abraham asked!!
God says that He will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham says: Will you kill all of the righteous in that city just to punish the wicked??? Then Abraham specifically gives God a number. If there are 50 righteous then will you spare the city??
First: I must say: It is natural for me to relate to Jonah, not Abraham... In my flesh I would rather see the Wicked Scorched instead of shown mercy. But I must remind myself that If it were not for God's mercy then I too would be scorched!!
Well, Abraham would have been a great car sales man, because He continues to try and negotiate with God. He says will you spare it for 45? 40? 30? 20? 10? and the story will ocntinue tomorrow... :) make sure you read it! It is pretty amazing!
TRUST GOD and HAVE MERCY on the people around you... AND PRAY... you never know what your conversation with God could change!
SUNDAY, August 31st, 2008
Hey Everyone! I hope you were in church this morning! Pastor Chip preached a great message on how we should show our testimony for God at our workplace. Tonight we are going to have a missionary! That will be great! Make sure that you are able to attend. I know that because it is a holiday weekend that many of you are out of town, but if you are in town you should make sure that you are in church tonight!
Genesis 17
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.
2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”
3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:
4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.
5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.
8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;
11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.
13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16 And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”
17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”
19 Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”
22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23 So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him.
24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
26 That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael;
27 and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
Ouch! God was serious about proving their belief. God wanted them to do something difficult to prove that they trusted God. They did it! Babies are generally circumcised a few days after they are born, NOT when they are 13 years old. Babies dont remember how painful that process is... if you are not sure about the details and you really want to know... then ask your parents.
Well, I think the two part about this passage that really speak to me are when God tells Abram to "Walk before me and be blameless" and then when God changes the Name of Abram and Sarai.
Let's talk about each one:
God told Abram to walk before him and be blameless... Are you blameless? Do you live a life with a testimony that is so righteous, that people cannot even find anything bad to say about you.
The people who see you could NEVER blame you for something wrong because you have integrity and character. That is a description of someone who is blameless!! Be Blameless!!
Second, I think it is wonderful how God changes Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah!! Think about this... They trusted in God and He gave them a new identity. That is what we talked about in Sunday School this morning! We have a new identity in Christ when we accept Him!
The Bible says that we become a "new creature" and "all things are become new"
Has your life changed since you accepted Christ? Have all things become new in your life? That is evidence of a genuine faith in God!
The last and final thing that jumped out at me was the fact that Abram mocked God when God said that He would give them a child. Abraham literally LAUGHED in Gods face!!!! Wow! The Audacity!! I cannot believe it! Again! After God has been so faithful... Abraham just laughs with unbelief! Well... Abraham is about to find out, that God was not joking around when He told Abraham that He was going to have a son!
Trust God! No matter how crazy it may sound! Trust Him and He will do more in your life than you ever dreamed!!!!!!!!
Genesis 17
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.
2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”
3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:
4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.
5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.
8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;
11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.
13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16 And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”
17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”
19 Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”
22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23 So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him.
24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
26 That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael;
27 and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
Ouch! God was serious about proving their belief. God wanted them to do something difficult to prove that they trusted God. They did it! Babies are generally circumcised a few days after they are born, NOT when they are 13 years old. Babies dont remember how painful that process is... if you are not sure about the details and you really want to know... then ask your parents.
Well, I think the two part about this passage that really speak to me are when God tells Abram to "Walk before me and be blameless" and then when God changes the Name of Abram and Sarai.
Let's talk about each one:
God told Abram to walk before him and be blameless... Are you blameless? Do you live a life with a testimony that is so righteous, that people cannot even find anything bad to say about you.
The people who see you could NEVER blame you for something wrong because you have integrity and character. That is a description of someone who is blameless!! Be Blameless!!
Second, I think it is wonderful how God changes Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah!! Think about this... They trusted in God and He gave them a new identity. That is what we talked about in Sunday School this morning! We have a new identity in Christ when we accept Him!
The Bible says that we become a "new creature" and "all things are become new"
Has your life changed since you accepted Christ? Have all things become new in your life? That is evidence of a genuine faith in God!
The last and final thing that jumped out at me was the fact that Abram mocked God when God said that He would give them a child. Abraham literally LAUGHED in Gods face!!!! Wow! The Audacity!! I cannot believe it! Again! After God has been so faithful... Abraham just laughs with unbelief! Well... Abraham is about to find out, that God was not joking around when He told Abraham that He was going to have a son!
Trust God! No matter how crazy it may sound! Trust Him and He will do more in your life than you ever dreamed!!!!!!!!
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