Last week your homework was to read Psalm 72, Isaiah chapters 1-10 and Genesis chapters 1-11.  WHO DID THEIR HOMEWORK?

You will get out of this program what you put into your homework.  Last week we addressed the key point that God allowed sin to enter this world.  He did not want it, but He allowed it because He has a new plan.  God made a statement to Satan that the seed of woman would crush his head in Genesis 3:15.  That promise of the seed is addressed to Abram in Genesis 12:3.  God is in control.  Abram needs to know that God is in control.  Abram asks that Ishmael be blessed which God does, but God says the seed will come forth from a ninety year old Sarah through a child named Isaac.  Isaac marries a young girl, but she can not have babies.  God is in control.  Isaac needs to know that God is in control.  Isaac prays for God to give them a baby and Rebekah has twins.  That is just the way God operates.  You ask for one and He will give you two. Treat other people like God treats His people and be blessed by following the actions of our Living God.  Just like Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau show us two paths; physical and spiritual.  Man must choose either self-righteousness or God's righteousness offered by Jesus. 

Now let's take a look at some key verses in Genesis that I do not want you to miss.  Think of Genesis as a foundation to build a house upon.  Let's say the house is 100' x 75'.  You lay out the edge of the foundation getting ready to place steel and pour concrete.  You must cross check the square of the slab or everything in the house will be off.  You must measure from one corner to the other and get a measurement.  That should be the exact same measurement from the opposite corners.  If it is not, then you must adjust the edge of your foundation.  Genesis is our measurement to make sure our theology is square.  Some ministries skip the fist section of Genesis because it is just beyond their understanding.  All this stuff is beyond normal man's understanding without God.  You must come to God via Jesus and ask for His Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind.  Guess what, He will give you more than you asked for because that is just how God operates.  I love God!

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 
See also John 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
2 He was in the beginning with God. 
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

It all starts here.  You are made in the image of the Living God, not evolved from slim.  Slim does not have any value, but you are special beyond all creation because you can be the adopted child of the Creator of Heaven and Earth by accepting Jesus as the Anointed One (also known as Christ or Messiah).  All things came into being through Him (Jesus).  He made you.  God made you in His image.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 1:26-27
26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 
27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 2:7
Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 
See also John 20:21-22
21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."
22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Genesis 2:18
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."
See also Hebrews 10:23-25
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 
24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 
25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. 

Genesis 2:24-25
24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 
25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Chapter One of Genesis lists the six days of creation.  Chapter two takes a detailed look at what God created in chapter one.  Did you notice male and female He created them?  God sees men and women as having equal worth.  We just have different roles.  Equal worth, but different roles is good.  Each person is unique, created with special value to other people who have the breath of life inside them.  God designed His people to work together in our different roles so that we can build each other up in the body of Christ.  The church is the body of Christ and we are the bride of Jesus. 

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."
See also Acts 26:18
to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'

The man was given responsibility and he did not stop the fall.  Notice that 3:15 is God talking to Satan, not Adam or Eve.  Also, women do not produce physical seed.  I hope you see that this is a reference to the virgin birth.  Mankind lost dominion over this world when sin and death entered into our lives.  All mankind starts off in darkness and under the dominion of Satan infected with the disease of sin passed on from the seed of man.  It would take a virgin birth to bypass the seed of sinful man and break the cycle of darkness and bring in the light of God to this fallen world.  God's Word will open your eyes to who and what you are if you will only seek Him in the right way. 

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 3:22
Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"- 

Us refers to more than one.  Deuteronomy 6:4 says that the Lord is our God.  The Lord is one.  Starting in Genesis 3:22 and seen multiple times afterwards we see God referred to in a singular context and also in the plural.  Think about this; one rope might have three cords connected to each other to give added strength.  God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are one.  We will address the form and function of each of these aspects of our Lord.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 4:7
If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?  And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."

I love this.  You can master sin.  You must master sin.  Do well and master sin in your behavior.  Acts 26:18 says that we can receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance because we are sanctified by faith in Jesus.  That does not mean that the temptation of sin will just go away.  You must master it in your daily life.  Your forgiveness and sanctification are not effected.  This is a battle for your obedience.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 4:26
To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh.  Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord. 

Genesis 5:22-24
22 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. 
23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 
24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. 
See also John 3:13
No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.

Jesus says no one ascended into heaven.  That is prior to the Messiah.  So where did Enoch go?  Tell ya later.  Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 6:5
Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
See also Matthew 15:15-20
15 Peter said to Him, "Explain the parable to us." 
16 Jesus said, "Are you still lacking in understanding also?
17 Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?
18 But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.
20 These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."

Genesis 6:9
These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.
See also Acts 2:42
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 

How do you walk with God?  Today, we have the apostles' teaching in the form of the bible.  We have church for fellowship.  And we can go directly to the throne of the Living God by the blood of Jesus.  In prayer, we go the place the High Priest only went once a year and that under threat of death.  Do not take your prayer time for granted.  Consider the privilege we have to go to God any time any where.

How did Enoch and Noah walk with God since they did not have the bible or church?  Jesus said if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor that you have fulfilled all the requirements of the law.  I guess Enoch and Noah just loved God.  Do you love God?  Really?

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 7:15-16
15 So they went into the ark to Noah, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. 
16 Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him. 
See also Psalm 72:12-14
12 For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted also, and him who has no helper.
13 He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save.
14 He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, And their blood will be precious in his sight;

God closed the door to the ark.  Do not miss that.  Our God is full of grace, but He will judge evil.  God has always been in the saving business. 

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 8:21
The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, "I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.
See also Genesis 4:4-5
4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions.  And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; 
5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.

God told Noah to take clean animals for the purpose of sacrifice.  How did Abel know to offer the firstlings.  The only way to offer the fat is to kill the animal.  I guess God told Abel, but He just did not tell us that He told him.  God tells you what you need to know, but not everything.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 9:6
"Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.

Genesis 9:9-10
9 "Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; 
10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth.

God cares about the life of all men.  God cares about the lives of animals.  We are all His creation, but man is made in His image.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 10:5
From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations. 
Genesis 10:20
These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, by their nations. 
Genesis 10:31
These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, according to their nations.

Genesis 11:1
Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words.

Genesis 11:9
Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth. 

It looks like Genesis 11 is looking back and giving us the details from Genesis 10 just like Genesis 2 was looking back at Genesis 1.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 12:3
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."
See also Genesis 22:7-8
7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 
8 Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.
See also Genesis 22:15-18
15 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 
16 and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 
17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 
18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." 

Here in chapter 12 is the promise of a blessing from the seed of Abraham.  When we look at the story from chapter 22 I have to wonder how did Abraham know about offering a lamb?  Again, God must have told him.  The Angel of the Lord is Jesus before He was born to the virgin Mary.  So when the Angel of the Lord is telling Abraham about the seed, He is talking about Himself.  When God told Abraham about the lamb as the offering, God was talking about Himself.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 12:7
The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land."  So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.

Genesis 13:14-16
14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 
15 for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. 
16 I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. 
See also Genesis 15:18
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:

The land of Israel is a testimony against every person who has ever lived on the earth since the time of Moses.  Today, you can not find another country in all history who has been taken off their land, placed into slavery and they return to occupy their land.  It has happened to Israel multiple times plus these people have endured multiple plots to eliminate them as a people from existence.  Only God's promises to Abraham can explain why the Israelites exist and why they occupy the land. 

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 14:13
Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew.  Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram.

Abram is a Hebrew.  This is prior to Abram having his name changed to Abraham.  This is prior to Abraham having relations with Hagar to produce Ishmael.  If Abram is a Hebrew, then Ishmael would be considered a Hebrew.  If Abram is a Hebrew, then Isaac would be a Hebrew.  Ishmael and Isaac are both Hebrew.  Both were circumcised showing God's covenant regarding the seed who would bless the world who is called the Anointed One or Messiah.  Interesting . . .

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 14:18-20
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. 
19 He blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand."  He gave him a tenth of all.
See also Mark 14:22-25
22 While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is My body."
23 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 
24 And He said to them, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
25 Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
See also Daniel 4:34-37
34 "But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. 
35 "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, 'What have You done?'
36 At that time my reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me. 
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride." 

Genesis 14:22
Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, 

Interesting to think about Melchizedek bringing the elements of the last supper to Abraham, but that is basically what He did.  The title Melchizedek uses to describe God as Most High is only used a few other places in scripture.  The book of Daniel uses that title for God multiple times.  My favorite is when Nebuchadnezzar regains his senses and testifies about who God is.  Obviously, God revealed Himself to this king and his attitude really change regarding God.  Funny how you change your tune when your eyes get opened to the reality of life.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 15:1
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great."
See also John 1:1-5
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
2 He was in the beginning with God. 
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 
5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 
See also John 1:14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Word is another name for Jesus.  The Lamb of God is another name for Jesus.  The Angel of the Lord and the Commander of the Lord's Host are name for Jesus.  You can also call him Prince of Peace.  Interesting that Salem mean peace.  Jerusalem means peace.  Some say that the King of Salem was King of Jerusalem before the city was every established.  God knew where it was going to be located.  Melchizedek means righteousness.  Jesus is our righteousness.  Some say that the site where Abraham offered Isaac is Jerusalem before it was established.  We know from 1 Chronicles 21:28-30 and 2 Chronicles 3:1 that the location where the Angel of the Lord had His sword drawn at the threshing floor of Ornan would be the location of the future temple. 

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 15:6
Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. 
See also Habakkuk 2:4
"Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.
See also Romans 1:17
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "But the righteous man shall live by faith." 

Old testament guys were save by faith looking forward in time for the coming of the Messiah or Anointed One.  New testament guys are saved by faith looking back at Jesus as our Christ (Messiah or Anointed One or Lamb of God).  The passage from Romans is credited for opening the eyes of Martin Luther to start the reformation movement.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 15:13
God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. 
See also Exodus 12:41
And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 

God is in control.  To the very day, they were in bondage.  God is in control.  Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 15:16
Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete." 
See also John 1:16-18
16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 
17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 
18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

God is gracious.  He waited for hundreds of years or over four generations before He announced judgement on the Amorites.  I am so glad He waited for me.  God is grace upon grace.  Grace and truth were realized through Jesus. 

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 15:18
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
See also Deuteronomy 30:19-20
19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse.  So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, 
20 by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." 

Think about the land.  Israel today would be the most powerful nation in all of human history if they would have just obeyed God and occupied the land He gave them.  Look at a map to get a clear perspective of the area we are talking about.  From the river of Egypt would be the Nile.  If that was your western flank, you would have the Liberian Desert and Red Sea as your protection.  Your eastern flank would be protected by the mountain in Iran and you would have water on the other flanks.  The land between the Nile and the Euphrates includes all the oil rich land of Saudi Arabia to include the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, half of modern day Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.  Israel today would be the most oil rich nation on earth. 

Think about that in relation to your walk with Christ.  Are you walking in the spiritual land God has promised to you if you would only have faith?  Why do you worry?  Why do you fear?  Why don't you love?  Future generations of your family would be blessed by your walk just like the Israelites.  Walk in the promises Jesus made and experience a life of freedom.  Use this class to get prepared for the spiritual battle of this world.  Jesus is the Commander of the Lord's Host.  The Lord is a warrior.  Are you ready for war?  Jesus promised victory.  WALK!

Open your bibles to . . . 

Genesis 16:7-13
7 Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 
8 He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?" And she said, "I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai." 
9 Then the angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority." 
10 Moreover, the angel of the Lord said to her, "I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count." 
11 The angel of the Lord said to her further, "Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has given heed to your affliction.
12"He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone's hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers."
13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, "You are a God who sees"; for she said, "Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?" 
See also Genesis 3:8-9
8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 
9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 

Who named Ishmael?  It was not Abraham and it was not Hagar.  God gave Ishmael his name.  God blessed Ishmael.  I think we will see Ishmael in heaven right beside Abraham and Isaac.  He would go to heaven based upon the grace of God just like Abraham who was looking for the seed who would bless the world. That would be the Anointed One or the Messiah.  I love the questions from God to Hagar, Adam and Eve.  God knows where they are and where they are going.  The question is do they know?  God wants you to know that you are lost and He can save you.

Now, what did you see in Psalm 72 from your homework?  This is a psalm of David calling out the righteousness of God.  Let's break it down.

Open your bibles to . . . 

Psalm 72
1 Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king's son.
Some people say that this psalm is written by Solomon.  My bible has a note above this psalm stating that it is from Solomon.  The last verse says that this is a psalm of David, but I am sure the bible translators had a very good reason for giving authorship to Solomon.  This psalm is describing a king who is much more than any physical ruler.

2 May he judge Your people with righteousness And Your afflicted with justice.
In our country, we have the legislative, executive and judicial sections of government.  In early kingdoms, some Kings judged their people.  The question is which King could judge with true righteousness and honest justice?

3 Let the mountains bring peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness.
Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace.  Our Prince of Peace said in Matthew 10:34 that He did not come to bring peace to earth, but a sword.  His first trip was to crush/bruise the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15).  Afterwards comes peace.  In John 14:27 Jesus said "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you ..."  Romans 5:1 "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ..."

4 May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, Save the children of the needy And crush the oppressor.
To vindicate means to clear someone of blame.  That is a savior or redeemer.  This King is described as a savior and that He will crush the oppressor.  Again we go back to Genesis 3:15.  Job 19:25 says "As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth." Genesis 48:16 is Israel on his death bed giving his last blessing to his kids says "The angel who has redeemed me from all evil ..."  Who is the Angel who redeems?  Who is writing Genesis?  Who told Moses what to write in Genesis?  Here is Jesus (before He takes on our flesh) telling Moses what to write about Him (the Angel of the Lord) and His relationship with the founding father of His nation (Israel) that He drew out of the barren womb of Sarah and the barren womb of Rebekah and will redeem from death in slavery inside Egypt and He will use them for His plan of salvation for all mankind.  Remember Genesis 18:17-19 where Abram is talking to the Lord "The Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him."  God is in control and God tells us what He is doing if you will just open your heart to hear.

5 Let them fear You while the sun endures, And as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
Psalm  111:10 tells us that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.  Did you notice that it said 'who DO His commandments' and from Genesis 18:19 where it says 'keep the way of the Lord by DOING'.  Did you ever notice in John 3:16 where God so loved the world that he GAVE.  Love is an action.  It is more than just knowing, but it requires action.  Do not be one of the frozen chosen, but be hot for God by moving in your faith as you interact with people in this world and do His commandments.

6 May he come down like rain upon the mown grass, Like showers that water the earth.  7 In his days may the righteous flourish, And abundance of peace till the moon is no more.  8 May he also rule from sea to sea And from the River to the ends of the earth.  9 Let the nomads of the desert bow before him, And his enemies lick the dust.  10 Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.  11 And let all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him.

Notice that the area described is beyond the borders of Israel.  This is a global King who comes down and has a specific period of time when all nations will serve Him.  This is not a man..

12 For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted also, and him who has no helper.  13 He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save.  14 He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, And their blood will be precious in his sight;
Just as we saw in verse 4, here is the Redeemer who extends compassion to save.  Sounds a lot like Jesus.  Verse 14 refers to the blood as precious.  The most difficult part of the rescue story of mankind is understanding the blood sacrifice.  I want to direct you to one of the most odd scenes in the Torah.  Turn to Exodus 4:24-26, "Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the Lord met him and sought to put him to death.  Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and threw it at Moses' feet, and she said, "You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me."  So He let him alone. At that time she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood"-because of the circumcision."  This scene is before Moses goes to Egypt and before Aaron joined Moses in the mission to Egypt.  Why would the Lord want to kill Moses?  What is this reference to the bridegroom of blood? 

It is the circumcision.  Circumcision was the promise to Abraham that the Messiah would come from his seed and be a blessing to the world.  Moses' children had not been circumcised.  Moses was married to a woman who was not an Israelite and she did not understand what circumcision represented.  We are not told everything that happened, but just what God wants us to know about.  This situation must have been the subject of a few discussions between Moses and Zipporah and must have caused some tension in the marriage.  Did you notice that the Lord was holding Moses responsible and not the children.  Adam was held responsible for the fall when Eve was deceived.  Men will be held responsible to God for our service as husband and as father.  Understand that men are not held responsible because they are more capable, but because we have the position of authority.

15 So may he live, and may the gold of Sheba be given to him; And let them pray for him continually; Let them bless him all day long.  16 May there be abundance of grain in the earth on top of the mountains; Its fruit will wave like the cedars of Lebanon; And may those from the city flourish like vegetation of the earth.

17 May his name endure forever; May his name increase as long as the sun shines; And let men bless themselves by him; Let all nations call him blessed.  18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone works wonders.  19 And blessed be His glorious name forever; And may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.
What is this reference to the 'name' and where else in the bible does it describe something filled with God's glory?  God and Jesus have multiple names describing the form and function of the particular situation.  The Tent of Meeting would fill with God's glory.

A name is a designation or title.  As Christians, we are baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  One of the ten commandments was not to take God's name in vain.  The name of Jesus was a mystery until it is revealed.  Jesus is described as the Word in Genesis 15:1-5, in 1 Kings 19:9-12, in multiple chapters of Ezekiel and in John 1:1-5, 1:14-18.  John later describes Jesus in The Revelation 19:13 as The Word of God.  Jesus is described as the Angel of the Lord in multiple places inside the Torah and in Judges.  Jesus is described as the Commander of the Lord's Army in Joshua.  God is described as El Elyon in Genesis 14:18 by Melchizedek and YHWH in Exodus 3:14 when talking to Moses.  Exodus 3:14-15 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.

20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
 

Let's take a closer look at a few points from Genesis chapters 1-11.  Creation starts with order, but because of disobedience the world is cast into confusion.  Compare that to Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.  After the flood, man was commanded to populate the earth.  He disobeyed and God cast the world into confusion.  In Acts we find the world still in confusion, but God provides unity by His Holy Spirit because of the blood of Jesus.

Genesis 12:1-3; (3)
Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 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."

God has His plan and now He is revealing it to mankind using a man named Abram.  Moses wrote Genesis, but Moses was not present when this event happened.  This account is given by the Angel of the Lord to Moses at the tent of meeting.  This is God telling Moses what to write down so that you and I can know His plan for humanity.  As soon as sin entered humanity, God established His plan in Genesis 3:15 when He said the seed of woman would bruise (crush) the serpent's head.  Women do not produce seed.  This is a prophecy of the virgin birth of the Anointed One (Jesus) who would come to redeem man back to God.

Genesis 22:7-8 
Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together. 

We will discuss the tabernacle and feasts later in this program, but understanding the Lamb of God is critical.  This reference in Genesis 22 to the lamb is long before the establishment of the Nation of Israel and the creation of the tabernacle system of worship.  Remember what John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus in John 1:29.  John's dad served in the temple and John would have had first hand knowledge of the importance of the lamb as it relates to the sacrificial system.

John 1:29-36
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He on behalf of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.' I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water." John testified saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.' I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God." 
Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" 

So what is the deal with the Lamb of God?  It was a symbol.  The bible almost always has a lower story and a higher story in every illustration.  The lower story is the animal.  We could go into great detail on the lamb and how it is helpless without a shepherd.  Jesus spoke often about Himself as the Shepherd.  We could discuss how the lamb was required to be spotless and without blemish which would show the purity of the sacrifice.  That is a reflection of Jesus as the sinless man offered as a sacrifice.  The Israelites were given instructions for daily sacrifices with the lamb and other animals.  In addition to daily sacrifices morning and at night, they had sacrifices each week, each month and on special occasions all year round.  With sacrifices comes blood.  Again, this was a symbol to show a higher story.

Did you notice what John said about not recognizing Jesus?  All the pictures and movies of Jesus that I have seen always portray an impressive guy who really stands out in the crowd.  These pictures and actors are just man's attempt to present what they think Jesus might have looked like.  Have you ever wondered why the Jewish leaders did not just flock to Jesus.  Think about it.  If Jesus had looked like Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington or John Wayne, he would have been more appealing.  Jesus was doing miracles all around the religious leaders, but these guys did not accept Him as one of their members.  That does not make sense.  It had to be his appearance.  Maybe Jesus did not look as much like a movie star as you thought.  Maybe Jesus was just an average looking guy or maybe He was a little less than average looking.  What does the bible say?  Open your bibles to ...

Isaiah 53:2-3
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

My son knows me by several titles.  I am daddy.  I am coach of his baseball team.  I am married to his mom so he sees me as her husband.  I run a small company so he sees me as a businessman.  God allows me to teach in prison so he sees me as a preacher. 

God has several different titles based upon the form and function of the position He represents.  We know God by different names to describe His relationship to us.  Immanuel is one of my favorite names describing Jesus.  Immanuel means God with us.  Of course, we know Jesus, but did you know Jesus is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name Joshua.  They both refer to salvation.  Moses, who gave the law, took the people to the promised land, but it was Joshua who took them inside the promised land.  Law can take you to righteousness, but it is grace that takes you inside righteousness.  Jesus is our righteousness.

You must always remember that the bible is full of symbols, shadows, copies and patterns of Heavenly things.  The Word of the Lord is living water and it runs very deep.  I want to show you another name in the Old Testament for Jesus.  We saw Jesus being called the Word of God to Abram before his name was changed to Abraham.  Now here is another title for Jesus; Angel of the Lord.  The Angel of the Lord made Himself known to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, the nation of Israel, Gideon, Sansom's parents, David, etc.  Pray that your eyes are opened to who God says He is.  If you seek Him, He will let you find Him.  That is a promise in the Word.  Open your bibles to. . .

Genesis 22:11-18
But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."  He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."  Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.  Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided."  Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.  "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." 

Did you notice the reference of Me and the Angel of the Lord in verses 11 and 12?  He knew Abraham feared God because of this act of obedience and Abraham did not withhold his son from Me.  The sacrifice was to God.  The Angel of the Lord just placed His title as God.  This story is such a rich illustration of Jesus that it is impossible to miss it, but people do.  They miss it because God has not revealed it to them.  One of my favorite verses in the scripture is Luke 24:45 where the resurrected Jesus is speaking to two disciples walking down the road before He ascends to heaven and it says - Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,  Man must submit to God for God to reveal Himself to man.  One theme in scripture is 'come and see'.  Notice that it is not see first and then come, but come and see.  God tells man to submit to Him and He will reveal Himself to man.  Come to God and you will see.  The more you come, the more He reveals.  That is how you build a relationship.  God wants you.  Not your religion and your self-righteousness, but your love in the form of a relationship. 

Now, I would like for us to consider the form and function of God as it relates to the Lamb of God.  Christ is not Jesus' last name, but it identifies His title and the form and function represented by that title.  The Anointed One (or Messiah in Hebrew which is Christ in Greek) was the access point or gateway between God and mankind.  Think about all the illustrations Jesus gave about the sheep gate or the narrow way compared to the broad path.  At a fixed point in time, God established a transition point for the Anointed One to make things right between God and man.  You can see this described in Daniel when Nebuchadnezzar had the dream about the statue and the Rock cut without hands striking the statue.  This was a point in time when the Messiah was to redeem mankind identifed as the time of the Romans.  So what about old testament guys who died before the Anointed One came to earth?  The blood of animals can not send a person to heaven.  What about people who died before the tabernacle system of worship was established?  Open your bibles ... 

Luke 16:19-31
"Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.  "And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.  "Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 

"In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.  "And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.'  "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.  'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' 

"And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers--in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'  "But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.'  "But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!'  "But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'" 

Were people from the old testament saved?  The Messiah had not yet come when the old testament saints died.  We look back at our atonement for our sinful nature, but what about the people who died before Jesus came?  The coming of the Messiah was the most important event in the history of the world.  Open your bibles to . . . 

Luke 9:28-36
Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.  And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming.  And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 

Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.  And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah"--not realizing what he was saying.

While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.  Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!"  And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.  And they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen. 

Moses died on the mountain not being allowed to enter the promised land.  Here is Moses in the promised land a thousand and four hundred years later talking to Jesus.  Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire, but here he is eight hundred and fifty years later speaking to Jesus.  Moses and Elijah were speaking to Jesus about His departure which He was about to accomplish.  Were old testament guys saved? 

After I read this section of scripture, I had my answer.  Yes.  People from the old testament are saved by faith the same way I am saved.  We both look to God for our salvation by His Messiah except they were looking forward to the Messiah and I am looking back at Christ.  Messiah is Hebrew and Christ is Greek for the same word.  Moses was a representation of the law and Elijah was a representation of the prophets.  So what happened to them?  Jesus told the thief on the cross that today he would be with Him in paradise.  Did old testament saints go to paradise before Jesus?  I do not think so because the Messiah had not yet come.  Like I said, the coming of the Messiah is the focal point of all history and the most important event that has ever taken place.

Remember the story Jesus told about the rich man and the poor man named Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31.  Could that be more than just a story and maybe a hint of what really happened.  Jesus had an actual shift in his ministry when He turned from the twelve tribes and started ministering to the world.  The tabernacle had a shift when it went from a tent to a temple.  The temple had a court of gentiles and a court of women with multiple exterior entrances.  The interior content was the same but the approach was different.  The final temple from heaven will have a shift because God will be the actual temple.  So what about the story from Luke 16:19-31?  Open your bibles to . . . 

1 Peter 3:18-22
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.  Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, afterangels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him. 

What do you think happened when the people in the days of Noah saw rain for the very first time?  Rain had never fallen in the old world.  They had been watching this crazy guy build a huge boat for years and years.  Just a few days prior to all the rain, they saw animals from all over the world make their way to the big boat and go inside.  They heard the preaching of Noah for years and years and rejected the message, that is, until the rain came.  The message was beyond their understanding until judgement fell.  I think some of those people repented and died as saved saints trusting in the God of Noah, but they still died in the flood.

So what is Peter talking about when he says Christ made proclamation to the spirits now in prison?  May I suggest that old testament saints were waiting for the Messiah.  We are looking back at the Messiah, but the old testament saints were looking forward to the Day of Atonement.  Remember Moses and Elijah talked to Jesus about what He was about to accomplish.  They were looking forward to the day when they would get to go to paradise with Jesus.  That is why Jesus told the thief on the cross that today he would be with Him in paradise.  Open your bibles to . . .

1 Peter 4:6
For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God. 

Peter was one of the three close friends of Jesus.  Peter was with Jesus and saw Moses and Elijah.  Maybe the story Jesus told about Lazarus and the rich man is not as much fiction as most people would like to believe.  The function of the Messiah was to prepare a way for all mankind to approach God.  That includes old testament saints and new testament saints.  The Messiah is the focal point of all history.  The Messiah was a shift in the relationship of man with God.  It is my belief that a whole bunch of old testament saints are very happy when Jesus died because they are now in paradise with Jesus.  They had been waiting until the Messiah had fulfilled His function to prepare the way.

Now what about Enoch and Elijah?  Open your bibles to ...

John 3:12-16 
If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

What about Enoch and Elijah?  Jesus said no one has ascended into heaven.  Maybe that means Enoch and Elijah died in the transition.  God tells us what we need to know, but He does not tell us everything.  Did you notice that the last verse 16 is in black?  I put it in black because I think this was John reflecting on what Jesus just said to Nichodemus.  Then Jesus references the story from Numbers about the snakes which is another lower story with higher story implications.