1 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:17,720 Hallelujah, Jesus. Oh yes, Job said. 2 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:20,680 He looked to his left and to his right in front of him. 3 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:25,960 Behind him, he couldn't discern where the Lord was, but only be 4 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:27,680 later. The Bible says that he heard him 5 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:31,680 speak to him out of the middle of the whirlwind, Amen. 6 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:36,360 He was there. Maybe not where he thought he 7 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:38,880 should be or ought to be, but he was there. 8 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:46,960 Amen. Just a few announcements here 9 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:51,280 tonight, April the 27th, which is this coming Sunday. 10 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:57,520 It's been deemed by our district all in Camp Focus Sunday. 11 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:00,640 What that means is we're going to take up a special offering 12 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:05,800 for camp to help cover the cost of camp registration does not do 13 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:09,440 that in and of itself. All right, So we're just taking 14 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:10,960 a special offering. Amen. 15 00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:12,560 For camp. We used to every year have to 16 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,360 send in a camp offering. They don't require that of us 17 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:17,800 anymore as far as a designated amount. 18 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:21,320 So we're just going to take up a camp offering and also ask that 19 00:01:21,320 --> 00:01:25,480 we pray. And so I'm just, we want to do 20 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,360 that pray that God's will would be done at the Indiana District 21 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:33,520 camp this year. Amen of our speakers, Amen. 22 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:37,120 The Lord would move up on them. Pastor Jonathan Vasquez be in 23 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:40,120 the evening. Brother David Ivy be in the 24 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:42,520 mornings. And so we'll have a good, good 25 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:44,720 time. Also in the month of May, just 26 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:47,640 hitting the tops of the trees. The 11th will be Mother's Day. 27 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:51,840 Camp registration has been moved back to May the 12th Camp 28 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:53,880 registration been moved back to May the 12th. 29 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:59,160 Also, we will have in the month of like May, June, and July, 30 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,160 we're going to do some game nights on Friday nights. 31 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:05,400 So our first one will be made the 23rd, kind of taking 32 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,320 advantage of the summer. May, the 23rd on that Friday 33 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:10,400 will be a game night starting at 7:00. 34 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:14,440 The 25th of that month will be a summer kicked off that's 35 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:17,360 Memorial Day weekend. We'll have only one service in 36 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:19,560 the morning. After that service, we'll have a 37 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,400 summer kicked off kind of to the flavor of what our annual chili 38 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:25,080 supper and hayride is in the fall. 39 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,960 This will be in the spring. OK, kind of getting started for 40 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:33,400 everybody with spring fever, summer fever, school will be, 41 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,600 you know, right there on the cusp of being let out and so on 42 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:40,480 and so forth. And also mark on your calendars 43 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:44,880 again, Fast forward and we keep calendars up on the bulletin 44 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:46,760 board. This information is out there 45 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:49,680 for your perusal. Matter of fact, there is on one 46 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,680 of the metal of things on the bulletin board right now, like 47 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:57,080 the high, the the big rocks of the church for the rest of the 48 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,840 year and you can go out and see. All right. 49 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,440 And so in June, June the 1st through the 4th, that's a Sunday 50 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,680 through Wednesday will be in revival right here with brother 51 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,200 Andrea. Adrian Sanford will be 52 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:11,680 preaching. That would be a Sunday through a 53 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:13,640 Wednesday. No off nights in those four 54 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:16,080 days. OK, Sunday through Wednesday, 55 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:18,200 that's only two extra. Let me explain this to you. 56 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,400 I think I did this before. That's only two extra days that 57 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:24,720 you would typically be here. And if we had a Friday through a 58 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:28,680 Sunday, guess what, You only come two extra days to be here. 59 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,720 So it gives you your weekend, your Saturday, still intact. 60 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:35,600 You still got your weekend. Try to be very mindful of this, 61 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,480 All right, trying to find the best combination, doing the 62 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,720 reboots cube, seeing if I can get all the colors on the same 63 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:43,440 side. I don't know if it'll work, but 64 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,360 it's a try. All right. 65 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:47,960 And so that's June the 1st through the 4th. 66 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:50,440 Amen. With Adrian Sander, turn to 67 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:51,880 Genesis. Thank you for standing. 68 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:55,040 I'll be standing longer than you are and I bet I'm in more pain 69 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:57,880 than you are right now. So Genesis chapter number that 70 00:03:57,880 --> 00:03:59,280 doesn't mean I'm going to be quick. 71 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,720 Pain makes me go longer because I'm stubborn. 72 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:08,160 Genesis chapter 15 verses one through 6. 73 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:14,720 The Bible states these words after these things and remember 74 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:18,519 what happened last week. But after these things the word 75 00:04:18,519 --> 00:04:22,720 of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, 76 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:25,520 I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. 77 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:29,680 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me sin? 78 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,760 I go childless. And the steward of my house is 79 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:38,640 this Eliezer a Damascus. And Abram said, Behold to me 80 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,720 thou has given no seed, and lo, one born in my house is mine 81 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:44,960 heir. Behold, the word of the Lord 82 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:51,120 came to him, saying, This shall not be thine heir, but he that 83 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:54,960 shall come forth out of thine own vows shall be thine heir. 84 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:58,880 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward 85 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:03,000 heaven, tell the stars without be able to number them. 86 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,520 He said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 87 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:13,520 And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for 88 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:16,040 righteousness. Amen. 89 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:20,400 With the help of the Lord this evening, our subject for the 90 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,080 next of the while will be this and I'm between the word 91 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:24,760 between. I've had in the past several 92 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:26,800 titles. I maybe this should have been 93 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,640 called the between series here, I don't know, but I want to talk 94 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:33,640 to you about between the promise and the pieces, between the 95 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:36,520 promise and the pieces. And then we're going to ask the 96 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:38,320 Lord to help us here in the next little while. 97 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:42,720 Father, I love you. I thank you Lord Jesus God, who 98 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:45,960 once again to come and center my life around your word. 99 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:49,880 God, they are the words of life and I pray God that they're 100 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:53,880 applicable to us even in this generation of us to find that 101 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:56,280 application and help us to Lord to apply it. 102 00:05:56,280 --> 00:06:00,000 God, as you would have open our mind and understanding spirit 103 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:02,160 revelation Lord, upon our hearts and minds. 104 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:05,480 God will not fail to thank you and praise you Lord for what you 105 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:09,800 do through your word and the lovely name of Jesus Christ that 106 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:14,840 I pray Amen. And you may be seated tonight in 107 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:23,000 Jesus name after the events of chapter #14 of being victorious 108 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:30,920 in a battle over 4 kings and getting his nephew Lot back and 109 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:33,800 also being able to stand his ground and make the right 110 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,280 decision between the two kings that were posed to him of Sodom 111 00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:41,240 and Melchizedek. One would think chapter 15 would 112 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:45,960 just be the celebration song. Chapter 15 would just be where 113 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:50,040 we kick up our heels, and that Abram would be on or at the top 114 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:53,680 of his game after having such a military victory and after 115 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:58,120 having the fortitude to refuse Sodom's reward. 116 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:02,040 But it seems as though here in Scripture, he isn't. 117 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:06,200 The Word of the Lord comes to Abram in a vision. 118 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:08,360 In a vision, the word of the Lord comes. 119 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:11,520 And that Word of the Lord is offering some personal 120 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:16,680 reassurance to Abram after he's had this grand victory. 121 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:20,040 As a matter of fact, the first words out of the Lord's mouth to 122 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:25,840 Abram is this Fear not. And it's amazing throughout the 123 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:29,040 panorama of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, how many 124 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:34,560 times God shows up in people's lives with those simple words of 125 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:35,560 fear. Not so. 126 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:38,160 This is the first time it's mentioned in Scripture, but it's 127 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:41,120 by far the last time that it's mentioned in Scripture. 128 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:44,560 As a matter of fact, we have what seems to be like somewhat 129 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:49,040 of a theme or reoccurrence in Scripture, and that is this is 130 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:53,360 that throughout Scripture, it appears that victory makes 131 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:58,040 people vulnerable to emotional and spiritual attack. 132 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:03,560 It's almost a precedent that is set in Scripture. 133 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:06,720 And if I would stated a little differently, I would say it like 134 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:10,760 this. Victory makes you a target. 135 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:17,160 Victory makes you a target. When when you have made the 136 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:23,360 greatest of strides in your life for God, then the adversary gets 137 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:30,000 anxious about you and where you're going, the mountains 138 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:33,280 you're climbing and the success that you're having. 139 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:38,559 You, you don't even show up on his radar until victory starts 140 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:41,640 happening in your life. Because when victory starts 141 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:44,280 happening in your life, beep, beep, beep, you show up on the 142 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:48,240 radar and now you're a target. And so if you're not making any 143 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:50,240 ways for him, you're not an issue. 144 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:54,440 But when you do, you suddenly become an issue. 145 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:57,200 We see the president, even Scripture, you remember the 146 00:08:57,200 --> 00:08:59,760 story. Elijah's on Mount Carmel. 147 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:04,240 It's like one man against many. He's asking those of Israel even 148 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:06,440 why they're halting between two opinions. 149 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:09,200 And he's also battling the prophets of the bail and the 150 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,800 prophets of the Grove. He calls fire down from heaven, 151 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:14,920 man. He, he makes his sacrifice. 152 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:18,360 God answers by fire. He destroys the prophets of 153 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:20,840 bail. He, like Abram should have went 154 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:24,360 away from that day just with at the top of his game. 155 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:28,560 I mean VVV it wasn't shall be his. 156 00:09:28,560 --> 00:09:32,040 It was his and he should have been at the top of his game. 157 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,760 Yet the Bible tells us after this miraculous victory that he 158 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:40,960 has on Mount Carmel that he flees in fear from one woman by 159 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,720 the name of Jezebel that says tomorrow by this time I'll make 160 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,640 you as you have made these prophets of Baal. 161 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:52,560 And he goes into a wilderness place, even a mountainous place. 162 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:56,600 He's very deeply discouraged, Bible tells us, even to the 163 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:00,200 point that he is requesting God, why don't you just go on and 164 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:03,600 take my life? That's on the heels of victory 165 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:09,440 that he is asking God that he stood very firm in public, but 166 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:14,320 now he's essentially collapsing in private because his victory 167 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:21,120 made him a target Jesus in his earthly ministry baptized of 168 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:24,960 John the Baptist. Heaven opens up, there's a 169 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:28,720 there's a dove that that spirit in the likeness of a dove that 170 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:32,240 descends upon him. And the Bible says a voice from 171 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:36,200 heaven gives a affirmation concerning who he was and his 172 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:39,080 ministry. And immediately after that, the 173 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:42,920 Bible says he's LED into the wilderness to be tested or 174 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:47,320 tempted of Satan. Because all of the spiritual 175 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:51,120 affirmation that was given to the Lord was followed then by a 176 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,960 spiritual attack. The victory, the focus brought 177 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:59,400 the target. Abram has just won a war. 178 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:03,360 He's refused earthly riches, according as we read and talked 179 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:06,200 about last week. And so someone might think, man, 180 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:09,480 you know, not to make a reverend, but this, this is the 181 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:12,120 you can't touch this man. You know what I'm saying? 182 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:15,600 You, you can't touch this guy. He, he, he is it. 183 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:18,320 But he wasn't. The Bible tells us that 184 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:21,720 evidently the Lord seemed to the depths of his mind and his soul 185 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:26,080 and recognized the fear that was there coming with those words to 186 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:28,520 him. Fear not he feared. 187 00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:32,120 He had somewhat of a fear for even the future, although he had 188 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:34,920 been given these various promises of God, and they've 189 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:38,520 been reiterated to him again and again. 190 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:43,680 Here is Abram fearing, as we see in these open verses, because he 191 00:11:43,680 --> 00:11:47,600 lacked an air and he needed some insurance. 192 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:53,040 In this moment, victory made him vulnerable, but God showed up 193 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:57,040 even in that vulnerability and met him there. 194 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:00,400 In his vulnerability, God met him. 195 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:04,520 Yes, the chapter before in that great crisis with the battle, 196 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:09,040 but in this quiet uncertainty when the the dust of battle had 197 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:13,520 subside and it seems just to be Abram, God met him there by 198 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:16,480 himself too. And I am, I'm telling you, I'm 199 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:19,800 glad that God meets me in my private moments as much as my 200 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:22,560 public moments. All right, in my moments of 201 00:12:22,560 --> 00:12:26,440 crisis that everybody can no doubt see in the crisis that 202 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:32,200 only I know about that he meets me right there. 203 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:35,880 And I'm glad that he does. I mean, the king of Sodom again, 204 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:40,760 he had sought to reward Abram with with goods, if you will. 205 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:46,520 But God again told Abram in these verses, he said, I am your 206 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:50,800 shield and you're exceeding great reward. 207 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:55,960 I am your protection and I am your portion. 208 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:59,880 And so there's a great contrast from chapter 14 to chapter 15 209 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:06,120 because Sodom, Sodom wants to offer him spoils, but God wants 210 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:10,160 to offer him himself. Amen. 211 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:13,440 And so he says, I am thy shield. I am your protector. 212 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:16,400 And think of it for a moment. I am. 213 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:20,720 This is a present protection #1 the battle that he had just won. 214 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,960 Genesis 14 and verse #20 tells us. 215 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:27,560 Melchizedek even brings it up that he had just won this 216 00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:29,360 battle. But that that winning of the 217 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:31,560 battle, the doing of that was God's hand. 218 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:34,840 The doing of that, if you will, was the protection of the Lord. 219 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:38,920 God did that. And so God's declaration in this 220 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:43,520 moment then is confronted running some of Abrams new fears 221 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:46,600 right of the moment and even for the future. 222 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:50,720 And also in that though God is forecasting a little bit some 223 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:54,600 challenges that are still yet to come and Abrams life and the 224 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:58,600 life of his descendants. Because I am your shield. 225 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:02,800 And if you need protection, it's not just that you needed it. 226 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,120 You need it and you will need it. 227 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:09,200 That tells me that there is some other battles on the horizon. 228 00:14:09,560 --> 00:14:13,040 It's very similar to whenever Jesus after his testing in the 229 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:19,320 wilderness, the Bible says that the enemy left him for a season 230 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:22,960 and the angels of the Lord came ministering unto Christ. 231 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:27,200 But notice it says the enemy left him for a season. 232 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:29,840 Seasons change. They come and go. 233 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:33,680 There would be another season, the adversary would come again. 234 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:39,520 And so you're going to need the Lord as your shield, as your 235 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:42,320 protector. And so some of the possible 236 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:46,480 fears that Abram may have been entertaining #1 yes, he just 237 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:49,960 conquered 4 kings. But what about if they regroup 238 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:53,040 and want to come fight again? Huh? 239 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:55,560 That wasn't uncommon in biblical times. 240 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:56,960 Someone get whipped, said, you know what? 241 00:14:56,960 --> 00:14:59,280 We'll just join forces, get a few more people. 242 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:01,360 We'll go back and show them who's boss. 243 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,800 Then again you think about, well maybe he was thinking maybe I 244 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:06,440 should have taken some of the spoils. 245 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:10,720 I'm living a nomadic life. At any moment in time things can 246 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:13,520 become scarce and lack. And here I didn't even take any 247 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:15,960 spoils. Maybe had some self doubt about 248 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:19,880 what he did. Although what he did was right. 249 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:23,960 Don't tell me you ever did the right thing and second guess 250 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:27,320 yourself about whether or not you should have done, huh? 251 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:31,400 Because when other things start coming after you did what was 252 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:35,440 right, you start thinking, man, I would really be benefited now 253 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:39,320 and what I am and facing right now if I did differently. 254 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:42,520 Don't you ever tell me cuz I know I've been there. 255 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:47,280 It's like those moments of time. We have great offerings around 256 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:50,000 here at the church, right? God moves and you give a big old 257 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:54,120 chunk of money and then less than a week later, something 258 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:57,720 happens, blindsides you in life and you wish you had that money 259 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:03,120 to pay for what happened. All right, nobody help me right 260 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:05,600 now. Nobody live my life right now. 261 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:09,240 I mean, huh, You understand what I'm talking about. 262 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:11,760 So maybe there was some fear, maybe there's some self doubt 263 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:16,200 going with that. But then God is my exceeding 264 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:19,320 great reward. And I understand that God, but 265 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:22,480 even if there are things, actual things, items, if if you're 266 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:25,080 actually going to reward me with something, if there's other 267 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:28,120 things that's coming to me as being associated with you. 268 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:33,000 Here's my dilemma. I don't have, I don't have an 269 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:37,280 error. So you can, you can load me down 270 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:42,400 with all kinds of things. But when my incomes it comes to 271 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:45,160 all of that because I don't have anybody to pass it on to. 272 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:52,160 I don't have anyone to inherit it. 273 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:57,720 So Abraham, he's concerned really in the essence about 274 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:03,640 legacy, about legacy. He says the Lord emphatically. 275 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:08,640 I don't have a child. I know what you've promised. 276 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:14,839 It's like, let me be, you know, whatever ghetto Abram here for a 277 00:17:14,839 --> 00:17:18,000 moment. I know what you promised, but 278 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:23,640 talk is cheap. I don't have a child. 279 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:27,760 And there's some we must understand about the culture 280 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:33,360 that Abram is in, the culture, especially of the early writings 281 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:39,680 of the Scripture, this whole belief system of, of the 282 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,920 afterlife and what happens like, you know, today, everybody, 283 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:46,160 everybody, everybody across America today dies and goes to 284 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:51,080 heaven. The whole mentality even just of 285 00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:56,800 afterlife of something beyond the grave knowledge and 286 00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:01,760 understanding of that was very limited of Abram's day. 287 00:18:02,360 --> 00:18:05,640 So the concept of dying, going to heaven is somewhat stranger, 288 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:08,520 foreign to them to a certain degree. 289 00:18:09,120 --> 00:18:13,680 They believed in, as I made mention a few Sunday mornings 290 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:17,760 ago of show, the place of the grave where all the dead, 291 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:20,680 whether they're righteous or unrighteous, go to yes. 292 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:25,480 But whenever they talked about their life and they were talking 293 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:29,560 about their life and legacy, that happened through 294 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:34,880 descendants, that happened through children, right? 295 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:39,520 The the only way that a man could really continue his life 296 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:45,400 was through his children, through his descendants. 297 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,760 If he wanted his name to go on, it would have to happen through 298 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,400 the children. And it was more than just his 299 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:53,600 name. They truly had this sense of 300 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:58,840 belief that a man or a woman and what they had lived on through 301 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:03,520 their their biological errors. And so that's is what Abrams 302 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:06,960 fearing here. You give me these things, my 303 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:11,280 life doesn't carry on right? All the blessings and promises 304 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:13,720 that you bestow. They really don't carry on 305 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:19,880 unless I I have an error because and if I don't have it, then 306 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:24,520 everything is lost if I don't have a blood relative to inherit 307 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:26,720 it. And right now I got is this 308 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,840 Stewart right? He speaks of Eleazar that's in 309 00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:33,360 his house because it was known that if a man or woman didn't 310 00:19:33,360 --> 00:19:36,720 have a child, and Abram and Sarah is already up in years 311 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:39,480 here, all right, That if they didn't have a child, it was 312 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:43,720 common for them to kind of adopt an individual that would take 313 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:47,880 care of them in their elderly age as they slip off into 314 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:49,920 eternity. So he's saying, Oh my God, is 315 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:53,000 this steward of the house, Elie Azar. 316 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:55,560 All right. But verse 3 is a very special 317 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:59,000 moment for Abram because God specifies, right? 318 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:03,680 God gets in the details and he says, Abram, it's not the air 319 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:07,760 that's in your house, right? It's not Elie Azar, that adopted 320 00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:11,160 heir that's going to be yours. It's going to be one from your 321 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:14,840 own bowels, meaning this. It's going to be someone of your 322 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:17,040 own. Body and your own blood. 323 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:19,800 What does that mean then? That means you're going to have 324 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:23,520 a kid. That means you're going to have 325 00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:26,600 a child. And then God goes just a little 326 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:30,040 further, right? God uses these analogies and 327 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:31,840 stuff. He's already used some when he's 328 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:37,480 talked about this, this legacy of, of land and of people and of 329 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:40,680 being a great nation. But God goes and informs and 330 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:45,040 talks to Abram a little bit more, but not just about, not 331 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:50,080 just about quantity numbers, but also about quality. 332 00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:56,600 Not just the quantity of his descendants, but the quality of 333 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,680 his descendants. Look at the old analogy in 334 00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:03,080 Genesis 1316. This is what the Lord had said 335 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,280 unto Abram. And I will make thy seed as the 336 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:12,120 dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the 337 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:16,040 earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 338 00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:19,560 In Genesis 15 and verse 5 that we read in your hearing tonight, 339 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:22,280 he said this. He brought him, Speaking of 340 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:27,520 Abram, forth abroad and said, Look now toward the heaven and 341 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:30,120 tell the stars that they'll be able to number them. 342 00:21:30,120 --> 00:21:34,200 And he said to him, so shall thy seed be. 343 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:39,120 Well, Brother McGee, you know potato, potato, you know dust 344 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:42,800 stars. Look into the earth, look into 345 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:44,920 the heavens. It's still some type of 346 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:49,600 relationship to numbers. Yes, but we must remember where 347 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:55,880 Abram came from. Abram came from the earth of the 348 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:59,600 Chaldees. He came from the center of 349 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:07,240 Mesopotamia religion where they worship stars and moon and sun. 350 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:10,560 Remember we talked about how they worship the moon God Nana, 351 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:13,600 you remember that, Amen. How they worship the moon God 352 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,480 and it was refeared. Go get me tickled here now, 353 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:19,840 Amen. Stars in earth that Abram 354 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:22,920 remember his father. They worship Pagan gods when he 355 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:27,160 was brought up to stars were to believe to be divine beings, 356 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:31,360 they were believed to be manifestations of gods and they 357 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:36,280 these stars would hold the very faith and influence the lives of 358 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:40,040 those that worship them. So whenever God reference 359 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:45,800 Abraham's descendants as the stars, his sea being as the 360 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:51,600 stars, this is going to strike Abram on a multiple levels as he 361 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:56,480 hears this because number one, God isn't just promising 362 00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:01,320 quantity, but God is promising quality. 363 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:06,440 As a matter of fact, God is redefining identity and 364 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:09,080 allegiance that Abram used to have. 365 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:15,800 God is transforming all the imagery of the stars, objects 366 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:20,440 that Abraham and his family once worshipped in his culture. 367 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:25,960 He's transferring all that now to symbols of inheritance. 368 00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:29,480 It's not idultery now, it's inheritance. 369 00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:33,840 It's not bondage, it's blessing. It's it's not the fate from the 370 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:39,040 stars, it's a destiny now that his family has in God. 371 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:43,640 In other words, it's almost as though if God says you once 372 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:48,840 bowed to these, Abram, but now your descendants will outshine 373 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:52,920 these. You don't follow the stars, 374 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:59,320 Abram, you produce them. It's kind of a gospel inversion 375 00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:03,280 that we often have in Scripture where God reclaims the symbol. 376 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:09,080 He reclaims the symbol of idolatry now, and He expresses 377 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:12,560 it as His glory and His plan. Look at this, if you will, 378 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:17,120 Daniel chapter 12 and verse 3. Daniel has just spoken in in 379 00:24:17,120 --> 00:24:22,840 verse #2 about the resurrection, how some would resurrect unto a 380 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:26,400 life and some would resurrect unto contempt. 381 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:31,520 And he goes on in verse 3. And they that be wise shall 382 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:36,320 shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn 383 00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:41,360 many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. 384 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:45,800 He says those that be wise or those that the interpretation is 385 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:50,080 those that would serve God and be obedient and and and adhere 386 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:53,120 to his commandments. He said, and those that will 387 00:24:53,120 --> 00:24:56,960 help convert or may turn some to righteousness help convert, 388 00:24:57,280 --> 00:24:58,120 Amen. Others. 389 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:04,800 He said those are them that are recognized as the stars forever. 390 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:08,440 You remember Abram what was promised to him by God. 391 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:13,280 He said in thee shall all the families of the earth be 392 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:15,440 blessed. He said these are the stars. 393 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:17,320 It's those that are obedient to God. 394 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:24,320 It's those that are operating as if you Incognito or even boldly 395 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:27,320 as converting those to the gospel. 396 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:32,600 Even in the New Testament of Philippians 215, the writer Paul 397 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:36,960 said to the Philippians, he described the sons of God or 398 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:41,440 believers as shining as lights in the world. 399 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,280 Some translation say it like this. 400 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:48,280 They are seen as bright lights or bright stars. 401 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:53,400 Another translation says ye shine like stars in the world. 402 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:55,840 Amen. God is telling Abram something 403 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:58,880 is happening here, Abram. You're not only going to have 404 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:03,840 them as the dust of the earth, a very natural, a very literal 405 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:09,080 descendancy of people from your loins, but as you cast your eyes 406 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:12,680 toward the heavens, toward the stars, we're not just talking 407 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:15,800 about people, we're also talking about believers. 408 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:21,240 We're this thing goes beyond just the natural, Amen. 409 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:24,720 There's going to because from your loins that will be people 410 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,240 that will be for the conversion of others. 411 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:29,880 There will be people that will adhere to my law. 412 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:33,600 There will be people, Amen, that will be wise in service. 413 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:37,360 And to me, your descendants will be as the dust of the earth and 414 00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:41,320 as the stars of the sky, Amen. It's going to be earthly and it 415 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:45,240 is going to be spiritual and there's going to be overlap with 416 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:47,120 some of them. Some of them there earthly are 417 00:26:47,120 --> 00:26:50,560 also going to be those that will become believers and converts. 418 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:54,080 Amen forevermore, Amen. But ultimately they're going to 419 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:58,000 be used for the transformation of humanity by my hand. 420 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:02,120 And in all of this, we see God work in a work because God's 421 00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:04,880 grace has been in place ever since Eden. 422 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:07,240 We've seen his grace in the flood. 423 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:10,320 We've seen his grace in the transgression, the first 424 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,920 transgression. We've seen his grace Amen in in 425 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:16,240 various episodes, the Tower of Babel. 426 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,680 God's grace has been there, Amen. 427 00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:23,000 But there's going to be this goal that he has for Abraham and 428 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:26,120 his seed ultimately. And remember Abraham's on the 429 00:27:26,120 --> 00:27:29,200 growth pattern himself. But he's wanting his descendants 430 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:31,560 to be on that similar growth pattern, what? 431 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:37,040 To become like Him in nature and in character and in holiness, 432 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:42,680 That as Peter said, that by his divine power we can be made 433 00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:46,280 partakers of his divine nature. Amen. 434 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:50,920 That the people could, if you will, become transformed to 435 00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:55,560 reflect the light and the glory really, of who he is. 436 00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:00,680 So God calls him in Abram. Leave her and I'll give you 437 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:05,800 descendants like the stars. I'll reclaim the symbol, I'll 438 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:07,800 redefined it. I'll give it meaning. 439 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:12,960 You'll leave behind the false lights so that your descendants 440 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:14,720 can be bearers of the true light. 441 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:20,480 Because ultimately Paul says the New Testament that in Christ, 442 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:26,880 Abram's seed becomes people who reflect the divine light. 443 00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:34,960 Verse #6 is a defining moment. I'm not going to spend a whole 444 00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:37,040 lot of time here. I believe a good amount of time 445 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:40,360 could be spent if you study in Romans 4IN Galatians 3 where the 446 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:42,680 apostle Paul references back to this verse. 447 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:45,440 That would be a good placement where you'd settle down for a 448 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:47,040 while. So I'm not going to do that 449 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:50,800 here, but it's a defining moment because the Bible says that 450 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:57,600 Abram believed God or he trusted in the Lord, and it's not 451 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:00,600 believed God in the sense that he believed in God's existence 452 00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:09,040 #1 Scripture. How can I say this gingerly and 453 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:13,800 not be mistaken or miskewed? Scripture never really tries to 454 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:20,640 have proof or try to explain or try to validate God's existence. 455 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,000 Or in the beginning would have been a good place, but it just 456 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:26,440 starts in the beginning. God. 457 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:30,440 Matter of fact, the Tor you read through the Torah, it's not that 458 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:33,960 they are trying to get people to believe in a God. 459 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:39,440 It's not the problem. He believed God, not so much so 460 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:41,080 that there was an existence of God. 461 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:44,000 He already had that. He already had that covered. 462 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:49,680 He believed in God, but now he's trusting his, his word and he 463 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:53,560 it's given him hope, hope of an heir. 464 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:57,040 And if he has an heir, then this is going to transform. 465 00:29:57,280 --> 00:30:01,240 This is going to transform Abraham's faith his life because 466 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:08,280 if he has an heir, the way that Abram lives might be adjusted 467 00:30:08,280 --> 00:30:11,280 somewhat because faith has that power. 468 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:16,960 Faith transforms how you live said properly would probably be 469 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:21,720 faith should transform how you live said again is true faith 470 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:23,320 really does transform how you live. 471 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:31,640 He said, he credited that that trust that belief to him as 472 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:35,600 righteousness. And we've already, we've already 473 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:37,360 went some ground here. But let's continue. 474 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:41,000 Verse #7 So I'm going to read a few verses, then go skip down to 475 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:43,400 verse 17. So let me read the verse 11, 476 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:45,400 then we'll skip the verse 17. I'm trying to just keep some 477 00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:50,240 things together here. And he said unto him, I am the 478 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:53,000 Lord that brought thee out of earth, the child ease to give 479 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:56,320 thee this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord God, whereby 480 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:58,360 shall I know that I shall inherit it? 481 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:01,560 And he said unto him, Take me, and Heffer of three years old, 482 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:04,880 and the she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years 483 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,040 old, and a turtle dove, and a young pigeon. 484 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:10,400 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, 485 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:14,000 and laid each piece one against another, But the birds divided 486 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:16,280 he not. And when the fowls came down 487 00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:19,520 upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 488 00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:24,600 The verse #17 And it came to pass that when the sun went down 489 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:27,720 and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace in the burning 490 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:31,840 lamp that passed between those pieces. 491 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:42,920 So Abram believed. And verse 7, the Lord responds 492 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:51,080 to Abram by using covenant language, by saying, I am the 493 00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:56,200 Lord that brought thee out of ur a Choudis. 494 00:31:56,840 --> 00:32:00,560 That's covenant language. That's the same language that we 495 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:09,560 see at Sinai in Exodus 20, that prior to Moses relaying the 10 496 00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:15,160 commandments that the Lord said in Exodus 20, I am the Lord thy 497 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:20,600 God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt. 498 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:25,680 You see the similarity between the two, and it was at Sinai 499 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:31,320 that God, through Moses, would make a covenant with his people. 500 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:37,240 In both cases, following this language comes a covenant. 501 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:39,960 As a matter of fact, this was known to the culture of that 502 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:44,320 time that that type of language is how covenants began. 503 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:48,200 That's how they started with that formal declaration. 504 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:50,160 There was a declaration of identity. 505 00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:53,200 There was a declaration of the past action of whoever in the 506 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:55,520 sovereign was, and the sovereign here was God. 507 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:58,800 That's how it always started. And then it was followed by the 508 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:02,560 stipulations or the promises of the covenant. 509 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:04,920 That's the pattern of a covenant. 510 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:10,280 And so since that's the case, Abram is familiar with this 511 00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:13,680 legal, if you want to call it legal, terminology of the 512 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:15,800 covenant. And the reason why I know he's 513 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:19,360 familiar with that because we read in verse #9 that God's 514 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:22,520 telling him, you know, 3 year old bull, 3 year old that grab 515 00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:26,280 these animals. And the Bible says that Abram 516 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:28,800 grabs these animals and he divides them. 517 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:31,080 God never told him to divide them. 518 00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:37,640 Abram does because he's already been clued in by the 1st words. 519 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:43,880 This is covenant making stuff. And you divide the animals, you 520 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:47,040 butterfly them. Whenever it comes to covenant, 521 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:50,000 he's doing it before God even asked it because he knows what's 522 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:53,680 going down. We're about ready to enter 523 00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:55,520 covenant right here. All right. 524 00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:59,200 And so he, he, he does these things and he divides it. 525 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:00,800 Amen. As a matter of fact, whenever 526 00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:02,640 you talk to the Old Testament Scripture about making the 527 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:04,520 covenant you always talked about, you're talking about 528 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:07,600 cutting the covenant. Hence the dividing, hence the 529 00:34:07,600 --> 00:34:10,199 slicing of the animal, the cutting of a covenant. 530 00:34:10,199 --> 00:34:15,000 It's a life binding agreement. In the Old Testament there is a 531 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:18,440 slaughter, a sacrifice, there is a division of the animals. 532 00:34:18,679 --> 00:34:23,360 All of that is underscoring the seriousness of the covenant 533 00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:27,000 that's being entered into. As a matter of fact, the parties 534 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:30,679 that were involved in the agreement typically, all right, 535 00:34:30,679 --> 00:34:34,080 we have these divided pieces, the parties that are involved, 536 00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:36,800 the sovereign, the superior and and the lesser. 537 00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:39,719 I was going to say inferior, but that sounded mean. 538 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:42,880 Maybe lesser wasn't very good, but these parties then would 539 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:49,320 walk between the pieces in a way symbolically saying that may may 540 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:52,280 this, this division, this lottery, may this happen to me 541 00:34:52,280 --> 00:34:56,520 if I break the terms of the covenant that's being made. 542 00:34:56,960 --> 00:34:59,920 And so the party then that would have violated the covenant. 543 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:04,640 They had the curse of death that was invoked upon their life. 544 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:07,320 Here's what the Bible says. Genesis 1517. 545 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:10,920 It came to pass when the sun went down, it was dark. 546 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:14,720 Behold a smoking furnace and the burning lamp that passed between 547 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:18,840 those pieces. Most and I'm agreement with him, 548 00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:23,160 most people who describe this smoking furnace and burning lamp 549 00:35:23,240 --> 00:35:26,760 as God himself. It's the manifestations that God 550 00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:30,160 chose to manifest himself by. We see him as smoke and fire on 551 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:33,800 Mount Sinai and other places in Scripture, the burning Bush. 552 00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:35,920 He reveals himself through these means. 553 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:39,240 Hebrew says no, you're not that your God is a consuming fire. 554 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:42,920 All these revelatory things that only God though here in the 555 00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:44,920 Scripture we don't have no other record. 556 00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:48,920 God's the only one that passes between the pieces. 557 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:54,920 Abraham does not, which means that this covenant is a 558 00:35:55,000 --> 00:36:02,880 unilateral covenant, that God is binding himself to fulfill the 559 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:07,800 promises of this covenant independent of what Abraham 560 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:14,000 does. That don't seem like much, but 561 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:21,120 folks, that rule bolsters the the surety of the oath because 562 00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:27,400 God can't die. But wouldn't you know, even with 563 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:32,800 such a covenant that the Israel's didn't quote UN quote 564 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:35,880 still keep their part, although they didn't sign the agreement, 565 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:40,600 so to speak, because they didn't keep the commands of the Lord, 566 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:43,640 they were honorable to the Lord. And you know what happened? 567 00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:46,760 They didn't stay in the land of promise as a result of it. 568 00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:52,160 So we got a dilemma on our side. We got dilemma here. 569 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:54,720 He's promised them land that they would inherit and they 570 00:36:54,720 --> 00:36:56,920 would stay in, but they didn't stay in it because of their own 571 00:36:56,920 --> 00:37:02,000 iniquity. We got a problem by all means as 572 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:04,800 a result of that. They should have been suffering 573 00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:08,720 for the unkept covenant. But Abram didn't walk. 574 00:37:08,720 --> 00:37:12,800 God, what are you going to do to fix the situation? 575 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:17,680 Someone's got to die. There's been a covenant breach. 576 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:22,920 God says I've been the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the 577 00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:25,800 world. I'll make myself a body. 578 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:30,160 I'll take on flesh and blood. I'll go come in the likeness of 579 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:31,760 an Angel. I'll come in the likeness of the 580 00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:34,280 seed of Abraham, is what the New Testament says. 581 00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:38,080 I'll go to a cross. I'll allow myself to be killed. 582 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:40,520 Why? Because the covenant has to be 583 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:44,520 answered for. Hallelujah, their covenant has 584 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:47,880 to be answered for. And so Jesus took the dying. 585 00:37:48,200 --> 00:37:52,080 Jesus took the curse of death of the covenant upon himself. 586 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:55,520 He said in Galatians, the Bible says that Christ has redeemed us 587 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:58,120 from the curse. For it said curses every man 588 00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:00,600 that hang up on the tree. God says, I'll come down the 589 00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:03,280 likeness of humanity, I'll take the curse. 590 00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:07,480 The Bible tells us he took the violation of the old covenant. 591 00:38:07,640 --> 00:38:11,320 And Hebrew said that Jesus Christ was the mediator of a 592 00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:14,680 better covenant, which was established upon better 593 00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:18,280 promises. Hey, man, it was a unilateral 594 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:22,560 covenant, and God took care of every side, each side, in spite 595 00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:27,600 of Abraham, in spite of his descendants, all by himself. 596 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:39,720 I feel my help coming and my back's feeling a little better 597 00:38:39,720 --> 00:38:43,000 here. Don't worry, I've been there 598 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:47,440 before. Animals that are used in this, 599 00:38:47,440 --> 00:38:48,920 all of those animals are clean animals. 600 00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:53,440 And this, whenever I seen them this week again, it caused me to 601 00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:57,200 pause and want to trample the ground that I trampled last week 602 00:38:57,200 --> 00:38:59,800 just one more time. Because all these animals that 603 00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:03,640 are used in this covenant sacrifice were clean animals. 604 00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:08,000 They're clean animals. They're clean animals that later 605 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:11,920 by the Law of Moses, would be defined in the Levitical law as 606 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:14,800 clean animals proper for sacrifice and for worship. 607 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:18,720 When I start thinking about this for the Mason and I begin to 608 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:27,720 review the lists from creation that were spoken to about a 609 00:39:27,720 --> 00:39:34,920 Sabbath before, there's the law. We're spoken to about the use of 610 00:39:34,920 --> 00:39:40,760 clean animals and sacrifice. Even with Noah now Abram before 611 00:39:40,760 --> 00:39:44,480 the law, we're talk. We see sacrifices and offerings 612 00:39:44,480 --> 00:39:47,200 taking place before there was a law telling anybody to do it. 613 00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:50,760 Last week we talked about the tithe before the law said 614 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:55,240 anything about doing it. We'll see later in Genesis 615 00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:58,680 Joseph doesn't commit adultery with Potiphar's wife without a 616 00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:03,680 law telling him not to do it. All of that without the letter 617 00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:07,200 of the law, because even before there was a letter of the law, 618 00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:08,760 there was always the spirit of the law. 619 00:40:11,640 --> 00:40:14,640 Paul said in Second Corinthians, Second Corinthian St. 620 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:17,800 For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 621 00:40:18,720 --> 00:40:21,360 So before there was even the law directing their actions, they 622 00:40:21,360 --> 00:40:26,920 had a God consciousness that was guiding them. 623 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:30,760 Let me say this, I believe in the New Testament. 624 00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:40,360 He's trying to get us back to a God mindfulness that the Spirit 625 00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:47,600 says and the Spirit says yes and the Spirit says no, and the 626 00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:51,560 Spirit leads in paths of righteousness. 627 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:57,800 He wants for what does what does Roman say? 628 00:40:58,520 --> 00:41:04,080 For as many are led by the Bishop Spirit of God, they are 629 00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:11,680 the he says many are led by the law of God. 630 00:41:16,240 --> 00:41:17,840 For as many are led by the Spirit. 631 00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:21,920 Oh, brother Miguel, you're doing away from law. 632 00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:25,800 No, because Christ fulfilled the law, but I have his Spirit. 633 00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:35,720 Amen. So Abram, Abram waited for God 634 00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:40,320 begin to walk, walk between the pieces of this covenant. 635 00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:44,640 It appears right? Because in this interim of time 636 00:41:44,640 --> 00:41:48,440 between when everything has been divided and then the lamp and 637 00:41:48,440 --> 00:41:52,640 the smoking furnace going in between the pieces, Bible says 638 00:41:52,640 --> 00:41:57,960 there were some fowls that came, fowls that came upon the 639 00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:00,160 carcass. And the Bible describes that 640 00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:04,760 Abram drove them. However, by means drove them. 641 00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:07,320 I don't know if he had an extra robe to do in the air, if it was 642 00:42:07,320 --> 00:42:11,360 just his hands or what he did, but he drove them away. 643 00:42:12,840 --> 00:42:17,240 He was fighting off what was threatening the symbol of his 644 00:42:17,240 --> 00:42:24,520 covenant because God's covenant to Abram didn't mean this. 645 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:26,880 We said, well, he didn't walk through it, no, but neither was 646 00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:32,240 he a idle bystander to what was taking place. 647 00:42:33,240 --> 00:42:36,760 He might not have walked through the pieces, but that also didn't 648 00:42:36,760 --> 00:42:38,840 mean he just allowed anything to interfere. 649 00:42:38,840 --> 00:42:44,120 What was with what was going on this covenant material? 650 00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:48,480 What's the Bible tells the New Testament, the verse we love to 651 00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:57,000 quote of first Peter 5/8 Be sober, be vigilant, because your 652 00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:01,920 adversary, the devil as a roaring lion walketh about 653 00:43:02,120 --> 00:43:07,240 seeking whom may I enter, interject what he may devour. 654 00:43:11,360 --> 00:43:14,320 I might not be walking through the pieces, but I believe as a 655 00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:19,120 Abram in my generation, I have a responsibility to guard the 656 00:43:19,120 --> 00:43:26,160 terms of my covenant, to protect the space, if you will, between 657 00:43:26,160 --> 00:43:29,440 the moment the promises starting to be made into the moment that 658 00:43:29,440 --> 00:43:31,480 it's fulfilled. Everything was ready. 659 00:43:31,960 --> 00:43:36,160 But God and the flaming, the flaming lamp and the smoking 660 00:43:36,160 --> 00:43:39,320 furnace had not walked through it as of yet. 661 00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:42,960 Is there anybody that's still keeping the vultures from your 662 00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:49,440 covenant 'cause I yeah, 'cause I guarantee you there are some 663 00:43:49,440 --> 00:43:51,480 things that they would just like to pick at. 664 00:43:57,840 --> 00:44:01,280 Happens all the time. Pick at doctrines of your 665 00:44:01,280 --> 00:44:05,320 covenant. Pick at wholeness and holiness 666 00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:14,310 of your covenant. Let's even say pick at the 667 00:44:14,310 --> 00:44:18,350 purity of your covenant. Because a bird of prey typically 668 00:44:18,350 --> 00:44:21,030 was unclean if it touches the clean. 669 00:44:21,430 --> 00:44:25,600 Cleanliness isn't conveyed, uncleanliness is, right. 670 00:44:28,560 --> 00:44:29,400 Yeah, right, right. Let's go on. 671 00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:36,120 We got to go, right? Run Genesis 15 and verse 12. 672 00:44:36,760 --> 00:44:39,520 And so I'm going to read verses 12 through 16 and 18 through 21, 673 00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:47,520 and we'll finish up chapter 15. OK, so I'm jumping back up verse 674 00:44:47,520 --> 00:44:49,960 12. And when the sun was going down, 675 00:44:49,960 --> 00:44:54,760 the deep sleep fell up on Abram, and lo, and horror of great 676 00:44:54,760 --> 00:44:58,800 darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of 677 00:44:58,800 --> 00:45:04,320 a surety, that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not 678 00:45:04,320 --> 00:45:08,080 theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them 400 679 00:45:08,080 --> 00:45:10,720 years. And also that nation whom they 680 00:45:10,880 --> 00:45:14,440 shall serve will I judge. And afterwards shall they come 681 00:45:14,440 --> 00:45:18,360 out with a great substance. And thou shalt go to thy 682 00:45:18,360 --> 00:45:22,040 father's in peace. Thou shalt be buried in a good 683 00:45:22,080 --> 00:45:26,120 old age, but in the 4th generation they shall come hit 684 00:45:26,120 --> 00:45:28,480 her again. For the iniquity of the Amorites 685 00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:31,160 is not yet fools. Giving down to verse 18. 686 00:45:31,360 --> 00:45:34,160 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, And 687 00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:37,200 to thy seed have I given this land from the river of Egypt and 688 00:45:37,200 --> 00:45:40,640 to the great river, the river of the Euphrates, and the Kinites 689 00:45:41,080 --> 00:45:45,480 and the Kinnisites and the Cadmanites and the Hittites and 690 00:45:45,480 --> 00:45:48,720 the Hittites and the Hittites and the Hittites and the 691 00:45:48,720 --> 00:45:52,960 Parasites and the Rifaeens, and the Amorites and the Canaanites, 692 00:45:53,320 --> 00:45:56,720 the Gagashites and the Jebusites. 693 00:46:01,240 --> 00:46:05,600 So Abram's drifting off to sleep in verse verse 12 and there's 694 00:46:05,600 --> 00:46:11,440 this very weighty and dreadful, you could call it a revelation 695 00:46:11,800 --> 00:46:17,520 that comes to him that this whole idea of the promise of the 696 00:46:17,520 --> 00:46:23,800 land, it's going to come through him, but it's going to be more 697 00:46:23,800 --> 00:46:27,120 for his descendants than it will be for him. 698 00:46:29,760 --> 00:46:33,000 It's kind of like a happy, sad moment for Abram, right? 699 00:46:34,720 --> 00:46:38,520 So this thing's really going to be by for my descendants. 700 00:46:38,720 --> 00:46:40,800 But thank God, I'm going to have some descendants, you know, So 701 00:46:40,800 --> 00:46:44,000 it's it's kind of a a happy, sad moment for him. 702 00:46:44,760 --> 00:46:49,760 It's the brother Mason even this whole land coming to fruition 703 00:46:49,760 --> 00:46:53,280 thing. It's not denied it's just 704 00:46:53,280 --> 00:47:01,360 delayed scenario Acts 7 verse 5 as Stephen speech and he relays 705 00:47:01,360 --> 00:47:04,200 this time of Abram and I've I've quoted this before, but I give 706 00:47:04,200 --> 00:47:08,080 you the reference tonight Acts 75 and he God gave him Abram 707 00:47:08,280 --> 00:47:11,200 none inheritance in it. Speaking of Canaan No, not so 708 00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:14,320 much as to set his foot on yet he promised that he would give 709 00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:17,480 it to him for a possession and to his seat after him when as 710 00:47:17,480 --> 00:47:20,240 yet he had no such child. So again, it wasn't necessarily 711 00:47:20,240 --> 00:47:24,360 that it was going to be his as much as his descendants. 712 00:47:24,560 --> 00:47:27,400 And so God speaks to him. So in this moment that God has 713 00:47:27,400 --> 00:47:30,320 given Abram promise, he's also given him prophecy. 714 00:47:32,560 --> 00:47:36,600 He speaks to him about the future, about his descendants, 715 00:47:37,280 --> 00:47:39,120 how they're going to be in bondage. 716 00:47:39,560 --> 00:47:41,840 They're going to be in the land that's strange to them, not 717 00:47:42,080 --> 00:47:44,240 their own. They're going to be there for 718 00:47:44,240 --> 00:47:48,160 400 years thereabouts. Bible says later 4 generations, 719 00:47:48,160 --> 00:47:50,720 which the word generations actually is interpreted as a 720 00:47:50,720 --> 00:47:54,080 lifespan or a lifetime. And around 100 years was 721 00:47:54,240 --> 00:47:57,280 lifespan lifetime of these these patriarchs. 722 00:47:57,280 --> 00:48:01,040 And so about 400 years. And he tells them that Egypt is 723 00:48:01,040 --> 00:48:03,760 going to be judged. And he tells them even, I mean, 724 00:48:04,200 --> 00:48:06,560 you want to talk about God and prophecy in some detail. 725 00:48:06,880 --> 00:48:09,120 He basically tells them they're going to leave there with great 726 00:48:09,120 --> 00:48:13,040 substance, right? But they're going to spoil 727 00:48:13,840 --> 00:48:14,960 Egypt. That's the word. 728 00:48:15,040 --> 00:48:19,280 When you go to Exodus 12 and verse 3436, whenever Israel was 729 00:48:19,280 --> 00:48:22,240 coming out of Egypt and the Lord gave the people favor in the 730 00:48:22,240 --> 00:48:25,520 sight of the Egyptians so that they lent to them such thing as 731 00:48:25,520 --> 00:48:29,840 they required, and they spoiled prophecy fulfilled, and they 732 00:48:29,840 --> 00:48:34,360 spoiled the Egyptians. So the rest of my little chapter 733 00:48:34,360 --> 00:48:36,200 here is kind of scrambled eggs. OK, What's that mean? 734 00:48:36,200 --> 00:48:37,520 It's a hodgepodge of this and that. 735 00:48:38,120 --> 00:48:41,720 All right, so verse 16, the Bible says that this, this is 736 00:48:41,840 --> 00:48:44,240 this, they're not going to come back except until in the 4th 737 00:48:44,240 --> 00:48:46,440 generation. And it says this phrase for the 738 00:48:46,440 --> 00:48:48,400 iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 739 00:48:48,440 --> 00:48:49,800 And it's like, what in the world? 740 00:48:51,000 --> 00:48:54,240 Well, the Amorites were synonymous with Canaanites. 741 00:48:54,240 --> 00:48:56,760 Sometimes the Canaanites were called Amorite, sometimes vice 742 00:48:56,760 --> 00:48:58,680 versa. They were synonymous. 743 00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:01,360 All right. And again, this shows God's 744 00:49:01,360 --> 00:49:05,200 grace because God wasn't just going to destroy a people just 745 00:49:05,200 --> 00:49:09,200 to destroy a people and have his people move in, because these 746 00:49:09,200 --> 00:49:13,240 Canaanites or Amorites, we're doing some horrific things that 747 00:49:13,240 --> 00:49:15,080 would be horrific in the sight of God. 748 00:49:15,520 --> 00:49:19,280 And so God has given time even for that nation, a space of 749 00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:21,760 grace. God. 750 00:49:21,760 --> 00:49:25,120 God does this, folks. We see this so many times that 751 00:49:25,120 --> 00:49:29,080 before God comes down with his hammer of judgment, he almost 752 00:49:29,240 --> 00:49:33,920 always gives time of grace for a change. 753 00:49:37,360 --> 00:49:43,280 That's the time we're living in right now, a space of grace 754 00:49:44,040 --> 00:49:51,480 judgments coming from from Nineveh backward from Nineveh 755 00:49:51,480 --> 00:49:54,120 forward there came by that suffered at the hand of the 756 00:49:54,120 --> 00:49:57,760 judgment of God that didn't have a time for repentance or making 757 00:49:57,760 --> 00:50:01,040 things right before judgment. That's the reason why we'll be 758 00:50:01,040 --> 00:50:02,960 without excuse on and yes, I'm off my nose. 759 00:50:03,120 --> 00:50:08,920 This right would be without excuse on judgment day because 760 00:50:08,920 --> 00:50:15,080 we the church ages had an awful long time and an awful lot of 761 00:50:15,080 --> 00:50:19,120 information and living in the dispensation where we can 762 00:50:19,120 --> 00:50:20,720 receive the Spirit of the Holy Ghost. 763 00:50:21,880 --> 00:50:23,080 Right? The Bible says the Queen of 764 00:50:23,080 --> 00:50:26,360 Sheba will rise up in judgment with those of our day. 765 00:50:28,840 --> 00:50:29,520 Uh huh. Why? 766 00:50:29,680 --> 00:50:33,480 Because all they had baptism under repentance. 767 00:50:35,280 --> 00:50:39,640 Oh, they had they didn't have the spirit, but we got that. 768 00:50:41,120 --> 00:50:47,320 We have on board teacher. We have written word, not just 769 00:50:47,320 --> 00:50:51,120 spoken word. We have all this material. 770 00:50:52,120 --> 00:50:57,680 It almost be like someone today. You know what I'm saying is we 771 00:50:57,680 --> 00:51:04,560 have more things available to us now to make us aware of where we 772 00:51:04,560 --> 00:51:08,920 need to stand then generations before us. 773 00:51:10,000 --> 00:51:13,280 So if we don't get it right, and they got it right to the degree 774 00:51:13,280 --> 00:51:16,960 that they could with the knowledge that they had, what 775 00:51:16,960 --> 00:51:19,440 type of shadow does that cast on us? 776 00:51:27,940 --> 00:51:33,820 And that's my little sidetrack. So Goddess Jess, so he said he's 777 00:51:33,820 --> 00:51:36,980 not doing anything to the iniquity of the Amorites is full 778 00:51:39,920 --> 00:51:43,680 whenever whenever they reach the breaking point that it can no 779 00:51:43,680 --> 00:51:46,600 longer be ignored and they won't take advantage of the reprieve 780 00:51:46,600 --> 00:51:49,160 I've given it. I'll come in that generation, 781 00:51:49,160 --> 00:51:52,040 we'll knock them out. My children will inherit the 782 00:51:52,040 --> 00:51:56,480 land. But in light of all this, in 783 00:51:56,480 --> 00:51:59,680 light of the disbanding of them, in light of the suffering of the 784 00:51:59,680 --> 00:52:03,080 children of Israel in all that God let's Abraham know, he said 785 00:52:03,080 --> 00:52:04,640 I'm going to let you die. You're going to die in peace. 786 00:52:04,640 --> 00:52:06,320 You're going to die in an old age. 787 00:52:08,040 --> 00:52:14,160 In all of Abram's faith, what that did was enable him to trust 788 00:52:14,160 --> 00:52:21,520 God for a timeline that he knew that he would not live to see 789 00:52:21,520 --> 00:52:30,000 fully fulfilled in his lifetime. Hebrews says it over and over. 790 00:52:30,480 --> 00:52:36,000 Those people of faith, they died in faith, not receiving the 791 00:52:36,000 --> 00:52:41,800 promises, but just the, the, the, the, the confidence and 792 00:52:41,800 --> 00:52:44,120 consolation. Knowing they were there. 793 00:52:46,000 --> 00:52:49,280 They could lay down their head and say it may not be in my 794 00:52:49,280 --> 00:52:52,560 generation. Do you not know that that is 795 00:52:52,560 --> 00:52:56,040 still happening yet today? My grandma and grandpa died in 796 00:52:56,040 --> 00:52:58,880 faith. Rapture didn't happen in their 797 00:52:58,880 --> 00:53:02,600 generation, but they died with the reassurance there is a day 798 00:53:06,640 --> 00:53:08,320 every generation. Amen. 799 00:53:08,320 --> 00:53:11,600 From time the Bible says, and I hit on that Scripture already. 800 00:53:12,160 --> 00:53:14,680 But when we looked in at the last few verses again, this is 801 00:53:14,680 --> 00:53:15,920 just scrambled eggs here at the end. 802 00:53:15,920 --> 00:53:23,200 OK, these territories that are mentioned from the river of 803 00:53:23,200 --> 00:53:25,880 Egypt into the great river Euphrates, he's talking about. 804 00:53:26,200 --> 00:53:29,840 He's talking about the land that he will give unto Abram. 805 00:53:30,400 --> 00:53:33,080 And we really don't see the fulfillment of this until 806 00:53:33,760 --> 00:53:37,560 somewhere around the David Solomon Kingdom time frame of 807 00:53:37,560 --> 00:53:41,080 these these areas in particular that it speaks of. 808 00:53:41,360 --> 00:53:44,680 And he speaks about 10 different nations that are currently 809 00:53:44,680 --> 00:53:50,000 possessing this land, which again is note for Abram and his 810 00:53:50,000 --> 00:53:54,520 descendants that the land is this acquisition is not going to 811 00:53:54,520 --> 00:53:57,000 come hands free. You're still going to have some 812 00:53:57,000 --> 00:53:59,640 challenges in opposite opposition. 813 00:53:59,840 --> 00:54:04,480 But I am your shield, all right, So stand for me tonight. 814 00:54:04,480 --> 00:54:08,480 I'll come to a close. So what we learned this evening, 815 00:54:08,480 --> 00:54:11,040 we learned this that victory doesn't make us invincible. 816 00:54:12,800 --> 00:54:14,960 If anything, victory makes you visible. 817 00:54:17,080 --> 00:54:20,640 Victory makes you visible. And after the triumph, off times 818 00:54:20,640 --> 00:54:25,920 comes the testing It does. I'm telling you, I've lived it 819 00:54:25,920 --> 00:54:28,880 my own life. Some of the highest high marks, 820 00:54:28,880 --> 00:54:32,680 moments of my life for God have been followed with bouts of 821 00:54:32,680 --> 00:54:36,880 depression, bouts of attack. I can tell you in the years of 822 00:54:36,880 --> 00:54:41,080 Ministry of my life that that is it's almost makes you afraid to 823 00:54:41,080 --> 00:54:45,400 want to even have victory because the feeling and the 824 00:54:45,400 --> 00:54:48,200 prominence of the targeted defeat afterwards is so 825 00:54:48,200 --> 00:54:56,840 overwhelming. He has, you know, these 826 00:54:56,840 --> 00:55:00,280 spiritual, spiritual taxes following these high moments. 827 00:55:01,200 --> 00:55:04,600 But in that vulnerable place, God comes alongside him. 828 00:55:05,120 --> 00:55:08,920 God, I love the mercy of God. God doesn't rebuke Abram, but he 829 00:55:08,920 --> 00:55:13,480 reassures him, right? I'm, I'm, I'm your, I'm your 830 00:55:13,480 --> 00:55:16,200 shield. It's, it's not, it's not the 831 00:55:16,200 --> 00:55:19,400 spoils, it's, I'm the exceeding great reward. 832 00:55:19,520 --> 00:55:22,000 It's not the applause of men, it's me. 833 00:55:23,080 --> 00:55:25,720 And so our faith isn't just about believing again in God's 834 00:55:25,720 --> 00:55:30,800 existence. It's trusting His word when our 835 00:55:30,800 --> 00:55:34,360 eyes don't see any evidence. Now, faith is the substance of 836 00:55:34,360 --> 00:55:39,080 things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. 837 00:55:42,640 --> 00:55:45,640 So what we've been called to do as Abram is this. 838 00:55:48,000 --> 00:55:52,320 God didn't ask him to walk between the pieces, but he did 839 00:55:52,320 --> 00:55:56,320 invite him to walk between the promise and its fulfillment. 840 00:55:59,040 --> 00:56:03,400 Guard that covenant space, whatever may try to devour it. 841 00:56:04,920 --> 00:56:08,320 Because in the end, yeah, God through Scripture, he is writing 842 00:56:08,320 --> 00:56:15,120 history, but God is also writing legacy through his Word, through 843 00:56:15,120 --> 00:56:19,800 us until he makes us as the stars. 844 00:56:20,800 --> 00:56:24,680 So we're somewhere between, somewhere between if we embow 845 00:56:24,680 --> 00:56:26,960 our heads tonight. Father, I come to you this 846 00:56:26,960 --> 00:56:30,240 evening. God, I thank you, Lord, for that 847 00:56:30,240 --> 00:56:32,600 covenant Lord that was made with Abram. 848 00:56:33,720 --> 00:56:36,080 God. And if we are, Lord Jesus, a 849 00:56:36,080 --> 00:56:40,320 part of this thing called the body of Christ, then we are, 850 00:56:40,320 --> 00:56:43,960 according to New Testament Scripture, a part of the seed of 851 00:56:43,960 --> 00:56:46,840 Abram. I pray, O God, tonight, I'm 852 00:56:46,840 --> 00:56:49,160 thankful, Lord, for the covenant, Lord, that's been 853 00:56:49,160 --> 00:56:50,720 made. Then, Lord, the covenants 854 00:56:50,720 --> 00:56:53,160 throughout the journey. Lord, I even knew and better 855 00:56:53,160 --> 00:56:55,400 covenant that you've made in the New Testament. 856 00:56:55,400 --> 00:56:59,040 I'm thankful, God, in each one that you have been the keeper, 857 00:56:59,040 --> 00:57:02,920 Lord Jesus, of them all. God, you have taken upon your 858 00:57:02,920 --> 00:57:07,520 shoulders as the superior Lord to keep all sides of it, Lord, 859 00:57:07,520 --> 00:57:11,960 all sides of it. God, in spite of my inadequacy, 860 00:57:11,960 --> 00:57:16,280 Lord, in my faults and my failures, I pray, O Lord, today, 861 00:57:16,280 --> 00:57:18,800 God, be with your people. Lord, tonight, God, as they go 862 00:57:18,840 --> 00:57:21,520 their separate ways, help them to be guardians. 863 00:57:21,520 --> 00:57:24,840 The Lord of the materials, the Lord God of this covenant. 864 00:57:25,240 --> 00:57:28,880 I pray Jesus that you continue to help us, convict us, help us 865 00:57:28,880 --> 00:57:32,240 have a God consciousness about us that would be easily 866 00:57:32,240 --> 00:57:35,000 impressed by the Spirit of the Lord and be truly sons and 867 00:57:35,000 --> 00:57:38,560 daughters of God. I pray, O Lord, be few peoples, 868 00:57:38,560 --> 00:57:40,840 they go their separate ways, God and their jobs. 869 00:57:41,080 --> 00:57:44,320 I pray God be with them, help them to be a witness God to the 870 00:57:44,320 --> 00:57:47,520 world that we live in. In the name of Jesus Christ that 871 00:57:47,520 --> 00:57:53,280 I pray Hallelujah in the church, say Amen, Amen. 872 00:57:53,280 --> 00:57:57,120 This coming Sunday is the 4th, the 4th Sunday, Yep, the 4th 873 00:57:57,120 --> 00:57:58,560 Sunday in this month. Amen. 874 00:57:58,560 --> 00:58:02,440 Me in the AM, brother Alex Mason and the PM Amen will have a good 875 00:58:02,440 --> 00:58:04,880 time, Amen. The Lord on Sunday. 876 00:58:05,040 --> 00:58:08,160 Shake hands with one another, hug a neck, encourage somebody 877 00:58:08,160 --> 00:58:09,400 in the Lord. Amen. 878 00:58:09,400 --> 00:58:13,000 Before you leave here tonight and you're dismissed in Jesus 879 00:58:13,000 --> 00:58:13,360 name this.