Sunday 121524
Don’t let me or my writings influence or scare you in any way, instead, allow me to be used as a vessel to open the Word, just a little bit, and hopefully, together we are going to read and study His Word, and let God teach us what He wants us to hear.
Since the beginning of this study, our vision has been that we are ONLY going to follow what is found in the Holy Bible, that pertains to us, and we realize that it’s ONLY from our own effort that we put into this study, that we’re going to take anything away for our own use.
The verses we are going to study tonight:
Genesis 11:26, 12:1-3; Hebrews 11:1-19; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:23; Philippians 2:12-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
BELIEVE and UNBELIVE
As we leave chapter 11 of Genesis, right at the end we see the first mention of Abram.
Genesis 11:26 ‘…Terah lived seventy years, and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Genesis 12
vs1 ‘…Go from your country, and from your relatives
And from your father’s house to the land which I will show you…’
vs2 ‘…And I will make you into a great nation,
And I will bless you, and make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing…’
vs3 ‘…And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
This is the first covenant that God made with Abram. It was from this that began the expression of FAITH that Abram had towards God.
Go back a little farther to Noah when God told him to build an ark. Just imagine the amount of belief there had to be back then between Noah and God.
Genesis 6
vs14 ‘…Get some good lumber and build a boat. Put rooms in it and cover it with tar inside and out…’
vs15 ‘…Make it 133 meters long, 22 meters wide, and 13 meters high…’
vs16 ‘…Build a roof on the boat and leave a space of about 44 centimeters between the roof and the sides. Make the boat three stories high and put a door on one side…’
vs17 ‘…I’m going to send a flood that will destroy everything that breathes! Nothing will be left alive…’
vs18 ‘…But I solemnly promise that you, your wife, your sons, and your daughters-in-law will be kept safe in the boat…’ CEV (Contemporary English Version)
Can you just imagine what Noah must’ve thought, ‘build an ark that floats on water.’ Can you just imagine what Noah, his family and his friends must’ve thought?
Hebrews 11
vs1 ‘… Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen…’
vs2 ‘…For by it the people of old gained approval…’
vs3 ‘…By faith we understand that the world has been created by the word of God so that what is seen has not been made out of things that are visible…’
vs4 ‘…By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was attested to be righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks…’
vs5 ‘…By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for before he was taken up, he was attested to have been pleasing to God…’
vs6 ‘…And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him…’
vs7 ‘…By faith Noah, being warned God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith…’
vs8 ‘…By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going…’
vs9 ‘…By faith he lived as a stranger in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise…’
vs10 ‘…for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God…’
vs11 ‘…By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised…’
vs12 ‘…Therefore even from one man, and one who was as good as dead at that, there were born descendants who were just as the stars of heaven in number, and as the innumerable grains of sand along the seashore…’
vs13 ‘…All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen and welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth…’
vs14 ‘…For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own…’
vs15 ‘…And indeed if they had been thinking of that country which they left, they would have had opportunity to return…’
vs16 ‘…But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them…’
vs17 ‘…By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had received the promises was offering up his only son…’
vs18 ‘…it was he to whom it was said, “Through Isaac your descendants shall be named…’
vs19 ‘…He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Throughout the O.T., mankind has shown nothing but UNBELIEF in God. Yes, there were those that truly believed in what God was telling them, but the Bible is full of stories that show just how much UNBELIEF there really was.
The Israelites didn’t trust in God and what He told them. It would be easier for anyone to count the times when there was that one sign of belief compared to the hundreds of times when they did NOT believe Him.
The Jews in Jerusalem, how many times did they not believe in Jesus and in His teachings? Sure, there were some that believed but over the years of His ministry, His death on the cross and the persecution by Rome and the threat that they themselves would be killed, how many Jews would still believe in God?
UNBELIEF was very high. So, let’s stop picking on the old and let’s speed up and move forward to today, the 21st century, just look at the UNBELIEF in this world that we live in.
So much of the blame has to be put on Satan. He is still trying to keep people from believing in God because he still thinks he’s going to overthrow God and His Kingdom. The problem is that Satan is never going to overthrow God.
Today we live in a world where mistrust and evil run rampant. We see signs and threats of hackers, data breaches and social media networks hungrily attacking human beings throughout our everyday life.
When God foretold our future, sensationalism was not as apparent then as it is today and even today, we are not even going to recognize what I think will be in our future tomorrow.
The one ace in the hole for any one of us today is still found in Ephesians 2, once again.
Ephesians 2:8 ‘…For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
For by GRACE, God’s GRACE, it isn’t something Satan has promised us or something that he could even phantom to promise to anyone.
This is taken from the Bible, so it is from God’s own mouth. I think ALL mankind, need to accept the free Gift that God has given to us.
Ephesians 2:8 should be the one verse that every person in the world knows and remembers forever.
I’m thinking on adding it to my weekly prayer for the start of a lesson and maybe even posting it on the different sites where I’m running my weekly blogs at.
So, we began this lesson speaking on SALVATION.
I think it fitting that we return and see what other verses God has spoken to us on this subject.
Romans 6:23 ‘…For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Do you remember the first lesson on the subject of salvation?
SALVATION means deliverance or healing. It is the word Paul most often uses to denote deliverance from sin and its deadly consequences.
God’s GRACE and His GIFT of Everlasting Life is more than what most individuals are even capable of achieving by themselves.
In this verse, taken from Romans, we have once again been told how it is a GIFT that God is giving to us … all we have to do is BELIEVE in God and accept His GIFT.
The apostle Paul, picked by Jesus after His resurrection into heaven, used the word of SALVATION more than any other writer in the Bible.
Paul is the only teacher that has taught us about GRACE and the Gift that God has given us.
Philippians 2
vs12 ‘…Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear…’
vs13 ‘…For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him…’ NLT (New Living Translation)
I am amazed every time I hear someone quoting an author in the Bible that is anyone other than the apostle Paul and His writings.
2 Timothy 3
vs16 ‘…All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness…’
vs17 ‘…so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
ALL Scripture is inspired by God, but NOT all Scripture have we been told to follow.
I love all of y’all. Remember Jesus loves each one of us even more than how we comprehend the word LOVE.
Keep your Bibles always open and near you so you can grab it and read it in an instant.
Jesus, I pray that those ears and eyes, either listening or seeing this message today would be opened to the very fullest and allow Your love to come inside their lives and comfort them. Teach us Jesus. Protect us. We love You. Amen
InHIM. ><)))o>