THE SEED OF ABRAHAM

Laying the Foundation!

1. God made a covenant (promise) with Abraham

• Genesis 12:1-3 - "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
• Genesis13:14-16 - "And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered."
• Genesis 15:1-6 - "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness."

Circumcision: Genesis 17:1-4 - "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine,
the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk
before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations."

Abram's name changed: Genesis 17:5 - "Neither shall thy name any more be
called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I
made thee."

Sarai's name changed: Genesis 17:15 - "And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be."

Covenant repeated to Sarah (through Issac): Genesis 17:19 - "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him."

Each of the following will be expounded upon.

2. God confirmed the covenant (promise) with His people (Abraham becomes Israel)

3. God gave Daniel a Prophecy of the Messiah coming through the tribe of Judah

4. God's people rejected the Messiah and thus no longer become heirs of the promise [by birth]

5. God extended the covenant (promise) to the Gentiles (people of non-Jewish descent)

6. God made a way for the Gentiles to become the seed of Abraham [through faith]

7. God's covenant (promise) is still to the Jews, but now, not by birthright, but by faith in Jesus Christ

NO RULES, NOT RIGHT

What would our world be without rules? What if there were no commandments? Then what would our rules of society be based on?

1. We would be our own Gods or we would make Gods out of anything or anyone.

2. We could worship things made from gold, brass, metal, wood or other materials.

3. We could talk about the Creator anyway and make jokes about Him.

4. We would work ourselves sick or chose a day of man's choosing for rest and refreshing.

5. Children could disrespect and disregard their parents authority.

6. You could kill anyone who made you angry or just because you do not like them.

7. You can take your friend's or neighbor's husband or wife.

8. You can take another person's property if you wanted it.

9. You could lie when it suited your purposes.

10. You could envy or covet the belongings of other people (which would lead to #6,#7 or #8).


Think about it, if the commandments were nailed to the cross, then why are we bothering to live by any of them. We should just be doing what we want, whenever we want and for whatever reason we want. Our society would be a very unhappy place. We would be scared all the time and there would be no peace. Our world would be worst than it is now--like it was in the days before the flood.

The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. (Genesis 6:5,11,12)

PARENTS JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND

Parents really do understand.

They understand the issues that matter. Parents also experienced peer pressure, feelings of inadequacy, selfishness, joy, lonliness, fear, doubt, pride, anger, relief, etc.


Though they may not be as technologically savvy, that can learned, just like their children are learning. But that does not disqualify them and me, for that matter, from identifying with the human issues children face.


If we had listened to our parents and respected their age and experience more, we would have saved ourselves from many mistakes and enjoyed more of life.

Children always think they are smarter than their parents. Like the Children of Israel, they have to go through many painful experiences unnecessarily before they realize the wisdom that is available to them.


To the mother whose son is rebelling against the family, she should realize that rebellion began in heaven with Lucifer, then with Adam and Eve, then with Cain and has continued through the ages. 2 Timothy 3:2 & Romans 1:30 states that in these last days, disobedience to parents will be one of the major issues to be dealt with. Where can she turn? To God! She has to pray and fast for her child like never before. All day, throughout the day. It's a committment, but God hears the prayers of the surrendered parent.


Lastly, there's a quote that says "more is caught then taught." We model behavior to our children. I may not be able to tell my children what is a podcast or what to do with an ipod (because I really don't), but I can model character to them. In the end, character is what really matters.


Parents, give yourselves a break. You've been a child once and that experience is invaluable to your child. Don't be ashamed to share with your child your successes and mistakes. Let them know that your advice was not just pulled from the air, nor is it being used to beat them over the head. Let them know that you love them and are accountable to God for how you raise them.


Thanks Atiba for giving me something to think about and practice in my own family.


Leuanna
Visit the HEAVEN BOUND Blog
http://www.http//jarsofoil.blogspot.com

This was a response originally published to the comments at
http://atibadesouza.blogspot.com/2008/06/parents-dilema.html

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH THROUGH THE AGES

The Church of the Old Testament

God's church stretches from Eden to Eden. Those who have obeyed God have been called by various names such as "the sons of God,"(see Genesis 6:2 and Romans 8:14) "the seed of Abraham*(see Isaiah 41:8 and Hebrews 2:16)", "the children of Israel,"(see Genesis 46:8 and Acts 10:36) or "Christians."(see Acts 11:26) They all have the same fundamental beliefs.


The Church of the Old Testament accepted the law of God as its rule of life

The Ten-Commandment law is unchangeable because it is an expression of God's character, which is universal, eternal, unchangeable (see Hebrews 13:8). Long before the commandments were given to Moses on Mount Sinai, the people of God were keeping them. God said, "Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my laws." (Genesis 26:5)


God has had only one method of salvation, one standard of righteousness, all through the ages

We read in Psalm 105:8-11 that He made a covenant with Abraham, Issac and Jacob and the children of Israel for an everlasting covenant. God declares that that covenant was made forever, "the word which He commanded to a thousand generations." It is not correct to say that in Old Testament times people were under law and in New Testament times people were under grace. God has always maintained a harmony of law and grace. We are saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and when we have experienced this salvation and have entered into a saving relationship with Him, we delight to do His will (and keep His commandments).

The members of the Old Testament church showed their faith in the plan of salvation by offering a sacrifice. By faith they accepted God's plan, for the sacrifice was a symbol of the Lamb of God, who would take away the sins of the world. They became free men and women, new creatures through faith in the coming Messiah. The hope of the ages has always been the coming of the Lord.

God instructed the church members in Old Testiment times through prophets. Moses was the first writer whom God used to record permenent instructions for His church and to preserve the people's experiences for future generations. These inspired writings were read to the congregations on the seventh-day Sabbath and on other special occasions. These writings are known to us as the Old Testament.

Excerps Taken from Church Heritage: A Course in Church History

Bold emphasis and red references added

*more on "the seed of Abraham" in another Blog (http://jarsofoil.blogspot.com/2008/07/seed-of-abraham.html)

AMAZING DISCOVERIES

Here's a list of the videos or audios in the Total Onslaught Series that you may view on http://www.amazingdiscoveries.org/. Go to Media, then click on the series you want. There are also series on Healthy Living, Science and Music.

1. Just Another Man? (Jesus, Messiah or Impostor)

2. Where Jesus Walked

3. An advocate for our Time (An explanation of the Sanctuary)

4. The Mists of Time

5. The Man Behind the Mask

6. The Revelation of Jesus Christ

7. Seven Churches

8. Seven Seals

9. When Trumpets Sound

10. The Beast from the Bottomless Pit

11. The Secret Behind Secret Societies

12. Hidden Agenda

13. Battle of the Bibles

14. Changing the Word

15. Revolutions, Tyrants and Wars

16. The Islamic Connection

17. The Crime of All Ages

18. Two Beasts Become Friends

19. The Wine of Babylon

and many more