Preach the Word Podcast

Title: The Wonderful Book of Deliverance Text:  Exodus Exodus – “A departure” or “a way out” Second Book of the Bible, second book of the Pentateuch (1st five books, means 5 books. They are the books of Moses) Exodus is literally the sequel to Genesis. Nothing is started and nothing is finished. Genesis covers a time period of 2,315 or so years. Exodus covers a time period of 216 years (focus is really on 94 of those years. There is a lapse of time between Genesis and Exodus, however it is a continuation of the story of Genesis.  Genesis 15:13 13And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; Exodus 12:40 40Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. There is a lapse in time of at least 3 ½ centuries between the two books. 70 people went into Egypt, now they are numbered at over 2 million Joseph died, there was a new Pharaoh, and the people were enslaved Theme: Redemption through the Blood Hebrews 11:23-29 23By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. 24By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. 27By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. 28Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 29By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. Israel is in Bondage 1-11 The Passover 12 The Exodus of Israel 13-19 The Law is given 20 The Tabernacle is built in 35-40 Theme: Redemption through the Blood Key Verse: Exodus 12:13 13And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. Read Title: “The Wonderful Book of Deliverance” to introduce this book we are going to focus on the theme and key verse. Type – “A divinely appointed illustration of some scriptural truth.” Derived from Greek word “tupos” – impression, stamp, pattern, or form “A type must never be used to teach a doctrine, but only to illustrate a doctrine elsewhere explicitly taught.” – Dr. J. Edwin Hartill - Egypt is a type of the World - Pharaoh is a type of Satan -  Israel is a type of the total depravity of man and our need for a Savior - The Passover is a type of Jesus Christ “What redeemed Israel from the house of bondage was the blood of the Passover lamb. Israel sheltered behind that blood, feasted on the slain lamb, and trusted God for salvation full and free. Suddenly, the people were set free from bondage and death. Pharoah’s power was broken, and Egypt lay in ruins under the judgment of God. The whole story is a studied Old Testament type of our redemption by the blood of Jesus, the Passover Lamb.” – Dr. John Phillips The Passover  To deliver the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt The 10th and final plague Water turned to blood Frogs infested the land Lice throughout the land Grievous swarm of flies Cattle of the Egyptians died, but the Israelites cattle lived Boils to man and beast Hail Locust Darkness The Firstborn slain Psalm 78:49-51 King James Version (KJV) 49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham: Outline:  I. The Captivity (Egypt a type of the world) Exodus 2:23 23And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. They were in slavery – in bondage - They could barely bear their own burdens Sin has this world in bondage – The sin problem must be dealt with. II. The Captor (Pharaoh is a type of Satan) The Great Red Dragon – Revelation 12:3,4 Revelation 12:3-4 3And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. “Great” Matthew 4:8-9 8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (Immense Power) He is the prince and power of the air, here in this verse he offers the Lord Jesus the nations if He will fall down and worship him.  “Red” John 8:44 44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (Does not care about human life) We see the spirit of this today with abortion 6 million jews and 11 million others Over 61 million babies murdered  Dragon His Viciousness. Seven Heads Ezekiel 28:12 12Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. (he was created perfect in beauty)  Ten Horns & Seven Crowns upon his heads This represents the revived Roman Empire that will be under Satan’s rule during the Great Tribulation His tail  Revelation 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: Drew (Pulled) they were persuaded to go with him Isaiah 14:12-15 12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. The Woman and the Child Why does he hate this child so much? Genesis 3:15 15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Pharaoh: Ruler of Egypt, very powerful. (remember, Egypt is a type of the world and Pharaoh ruled this land) Pharaoh made slaves out of the children of Israel just like this world is enslaved by Satan. No value for human life, very viscous, and hatred for the Jew – Exodus 1:16 16And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.”. Absolutely no value for human life whatsoever, viciously murder off ale babies as they were born.  Wanting to destroy the man child This is one of many times satan tied cutting off the line leading to Jesus Christ. Notice the hatred the Red Dragon had in that scripture for the Woman and her Child. This woman represents the nation Israel and the Child (Jesus Christ) Why does he hate this child so much? Genesis 3:15 15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. The Woman is Israel Revelation 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. Genesis 37:9 9And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? Question 1: Who is the man child that is to rule the nations with a Rod of Iron? The Lord Jesus Christ When Jesus Christ comes back the second time it will be to Judge. It will be a Theocracy. He is not going to come like He did the fist time. So many people today want peace, but they want it on there terms. “We want peace – now do as we say or else!” Well, when Jesus Christ comes back He will literally break this world with a Rod of iron.  The Day of the Lord= The Second Coming of Jesus Christ when He comes at the battle of Armageddon to defeat the nations and will set up His Millennial reign. During the Millennial reign,  He will do it with a Rod of Iron. This is only one phase of His eternal reign, because at the end of the 1,000 years satan will be loosed and there will be the battle of Gog and Magog. But please note, Jesus reign will continue for all of eternity. Pharaoh is no doubt a type of Satan: His power, lack of value for human life, hatred for the nation Israel and trying to prevent Moses from being born who is also a type of Christ III. The Corruption (Total Depravity of Man) Exodus 2:23 23And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. Israel is a type of man’s need for Salvation. We are totally depraved. Romans 3:12 - They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Romans 5:12 - Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Genesis 3:6 - And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Adam failed – Revelation 5:1:1-4 Revelation 5:1-5 1And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” - Romans 3:23  (illustration of good people) Jonas Salk(polio) Winston Churchill, FDR, George Patton, Douglas Macarthur, Harry S. Truman fought the evil Nazi Germany and their Allies (eliminate anyone deemed to be "defective") Some more good people, Abraham Lincoldn, Chris Kyle, Fred Rogers (good people) Adolph Hitler, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Ed Kemper There were good people, there were awful disgusting people, but the Bible tells us, we are all the sons of Adam, and we have ALL fallen short. Illustration of all mankind falling short We are all sinners, we need to be reminded that we are unworthy! A lot of arrogant Christians today (arrogant preachers) Israel got the leader they wanted (Saul) just like a lot of Churches are getting the leader’s they want instead of the ones they need 8 Dispensations Dispensation – A period of time in which God is working out a particular aspect of His will. (8) Innocence – (Adam and Eve) Conscience (Flood) Human Government Promise (Egyption bondage) Law (Calvary) Grace (Church age) Tribulation Millennium (Kingdom) What does each dispensation have in common? They end in man’s failure and God’s Judgment! The Cure Exodus – “The way out” “To set forth the great truth of the whole Bible, the deliverance of man from the bondage and slavery to sin and the world.”  - Dr. Tom Wallace, Digest of the Old Testament. “In Exodus it is made crystal clear that redemption rests upon the shedding of the blood of the Paschal lamb. Each individual personally must shelter behind the blood. The lamb must be without spot or blemish. The date of it’s death was set by divine decree.”  - Dr. John Philips, Exploring the Scriptures All the first born were slain Calvary was a dark place Exodus 12:13 13And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt Romans 5:6-9 6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks. To contact me, please email me at [email protected] 

Title: “In the Cleft of the Rock” Text:  Exodus 33:21-23 Theme: The believer’s joy and Security   Exodus 33:21-23 21And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.   Introduction:  • Who: Moses   • What: The journey to the promised land is resumed. (The joy and security of the believer)   • Where: Sinai   • When: 1446 B.C (Timeline of Events) - The 10 commandments are given - The Law is given - The Tabernacle instructions given - The Golden Calf: Moses goes up to Mt. Sinai to commune with God, Israel fashions a golden calf and there is Disciplinary Judgment. There is confession and intercession. - (Chapter 33) God commands Moses to resume the journey to the promised land.   Exodus 33:1 1And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it:   • Why: Deliver Israel out of the Wilderness - Wilderness: A time of testing and trials - Jesus; Elijah; Abraham; Jacob; David. All had a wilderness experience. - Canaan: Is a type of rest. It is not God’s Will we stay in the wilderness. He wants us to enter that joy and rest here on earth. o Reactions: Exodus 33:1-11   God commands Moses to leave the wilderness and resume. He promises Him that He will send an Angel with them and that He will drive out their enemies from within the land.   They are still wearing ornaments of the heathen gods and God tells them to remove them or they are going to be consumed. (idolatry and the dangers of it)   Moses pitches the tabernacle outside of the camp (still under construction) and enters. This is where the cloudy pillar fills the tabernacle and Moses talks with God. Like friends speak to each other face to face, God spoke to Moses .   • How: Moses prays and God answers   It is not God’s Will for us to stay in the Wilderness. He wants us to enter Canaan and rest. He wants us to go to the next level in our Christian walk.   Moses knows that he needs God’s help on their journey to Canaan.   A. A Desire to know God v.12-15 - (Ex. 33:6 “stripped themselves of their ornaments) - Phil 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” - The desire to know God more is evidence that He is the Lord of our life and that there is no idolatry.   B. A Desire to live for God v.16,17 - Moses wants to be peculiar. Not to be strange (weird) but to stand out because God is leading them. He does not want them to wander off on their own, he desires God to lead them and because of God’s leadership and constant communion, they will stand out from all other nations. - Religion will stand out; legalism will stand out; extremist (you name it) but why do you stand out? We should be a peculiar people because we are people for God. STANDARDS ARE WORTHLESS IF WE ARE BREAKING GOD’S LAW AT THE SAME TIME. - Notice what God says in v.17 “for thou hast found Grace in my sight”    C. A Desire to see God v.18-20 - Moses is becoming very intimate with God and is now requesting to see God’s glory - Moses could not see God face to face but God is going to grant His request. The Glory mentioned is a representation of God. - TO BEHOLD THE GLORY OF GOD - Revelation 21:22-23 22And I saw no temple therein: for the LORD God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. - The request of Moses is the evidence of an intimate relationship with God. This is a Christian entering into Canaan. The place of Joy and Peace (Maturity) - “’ And he said I beseech thee, show me thy glory’ Pondering this verse next in the light of its immediate context, we are shown what is the sure product of intimate fellowship with God. The great Jehovah had condescended to draw very near to the one who had separated himself from evil, for we are told, "the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend" (v. 11). And what was the consequence of this upon Moses? Not only did he have freedom in supplicating His grace, but there was a holy longing to know more of Himself. Such is ever the outflow of real and close communion with God: the more we know of Him, the more we desire to know. The closer God deigns to draw near to His people, the more constrained are they to cry, - Pink, Arthur W.. Gleanings in Exodus - v. 19 – (I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee) This is a confirmation of his original call. (I am that I am) Exodus 3:15-15.  (be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy) There were those who are willing to follow and those who are still in rebellion. Moses is the mediator. There are those who God will be gracious to and give us what we need to get to the next step, and there are those who are in rebellion that He is merciful to. - V.20 – We cannot see God’s face and live - Do you want the immature wilderness Christian experience or the Mature Canaan experience (draw comparison)   - Key verses:  Exodus 33:21-23 21And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.   “This is most blessed. In order for sinful man to be able clearly to contemplate the Divine perfections of an infinitely righteous, holy God, it is necessary that he should be put into a place of security and peace. This God has, in His infinite condescension and grace, provided for us.”  -Pink, Arthur W.. Gleanings in Exodus     Outline: “In the Cleft of the Rock” Exodus 33:21-23 Cleft of the Rock define – “ a space or opening made by or as if by splitting” (Webster) Cleft of the Rock is a Christian who has entered into that rest, that joy and peace that only God can give. They want to know God and are learning more of Him, they want to live for God and are being set apart, they want to experience God’s glory and are in communion with Him. They have been placed in the cleft of the rock and have an experience like no other.   “A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord, A wonderful Savior to me; He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, Where rivers of pleasure I see. He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, That shadows a dry, thirsty land; He hideth my life in the depths of His love, And covers me there with His hand.”  – Fanny Crosby   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks. To contact me, please email me at [email protected] 

Exodus 25–40 “God’s Dwelling Place” Text: Exodus 25–40 Introduction: Exodus 25–40 shifts the focus of the book.Up to this point, God has delivered His people out of Egypt, brought them through the wilderness, and given them His law at Sinai. The question now is not just how they should live, but how a holy God can live among sinful people. God gives instructions for the tabernacle—a dwelling place in the middle of the camp. Every detail matters. Nothing is random. This is God showing sinful people how to approach Him. And right in the middle of it, the people fail. Exodus 32—the golden calf. While God is revealing how He is to be worshiped, the people create a god of their own. That’s the tension of this entire section: God desires to dwell with His people, but their sin threatens that relationship. And yet, God does not abandon His plan. By the end of Exodus, the tabernacle is finished… and the glory of the LORD fills it. The message is simple: God will dwell with His people, but only through His way. The Tabernacle — Christ at the Center A. The Outer Court — Where Sin is Dealt With - The Gate — The Only Way In. John 10:9 (KJV) “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved…” There was one entrance into the tabernacle. Not many. One. Jesus says the same thing about salvation—He is the door. -The Brazen Altar — The Sacrifice. 1 Corinthians 15:3 (KJV) “…Christ died for our sins…”The first thing you encountered was the altar. Blood. No one approached God without sacrifice. This points directly to the cross—Jesus, the Lamb of God. -The Laver — The Cleansing Ephesians 5:26 (KJV) “…washing of water by the word,” After sacrifice came washing. Not salvation again—but daily cleansing. God’s Word washes the believer. You cannot come to God without sacrifice and cleansing. B. The Holy Place — Where Fellowship is Maintained - The Lampstand — The Light. John 8:12 (KJV) “I am the light of the world…” There were no windows in the tabernacle. This was the only light. Without Christ, everything is darkness. -The Table of Shewbread — The Provision John 6:35 (KJV) “I am the bread of life…” Twelve loaves, always present. God providing for His people. Christ sustains the believer daily. - The Altar of Incense — The Intercession. Hebrews 7:25 (KJV) “…he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” The incense rose continually before God. A picture of prayer. Jesus is our intercessor—He is praying for us.This is where relationship with God is lived out daily. C. The Most Holy Place — Where God’s Presence Dwells - The Veil — The Barrier. Hebrews 10:20 (KJV) “…the veil, that is to say, his flesh;” The veil separated man from God. Sin created distance. Matthew 27:51 (KJV) “…the veil of the temple was rent…” When Christ died, the veil was torn. Access was opened. -The Ark of the Covenant — The Presence. Colossians 2:9 (KJV) “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” The Ark represented God’s throne. Now, the fullness of God dwells in Christ. -The Mercy Seat — The Atonement. Romans 3:25 (KJV) “…a propitiation through faith in his blood…” The blood was applied to the mercy seat. Judgment was covered.. Wrath was satisfied. This is where God is—but access was limited until Christ. Outline: “God’s Dwelling Place” I. Cleansing (Outer Court — Sin is Dealt With) - Sin must be confessed, not ignored - Be honest with God about your sin. Don’t carry what He calls you to confess. - Forgiveness comes through sacrifice, not effort. Stop trying to earn what Christ has already finished. Cleansing is the starting point, not the finish line - Don’t stay stuck in guilt—move forward and walk with God. 1 John 1:9 (KJV) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” II. Communion (Holy Place — Relationship is Practiced) - God desires daily fellowship. Spend time with Him daily in His Word and in prayer. Spiritual life must be maintained intentionally. - Feed your soul, stay grounded in truth, and stay in prayer. Closeness with God grows through consistency - Don’t chase feelings—be faithful, and depth will come. John 15:4 (KJV) “Abide in me, and I in you…” III. Closeness (Most Holy Place — God’s Presence is Experienced) - Access to God is now open through Christ - Come boldly—don’t hold back in prayer. God’s presence is personal, not distant - Walk with Him throughout your day, not just at set times. Closeness changes how we live - If you’re near God, it will show in your life. Hebrews 10:22 (KJV) “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith…”     A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks. To contact me, please email me at [email protected] 

Title: "Access by Blood" Text: Exodus 24 Introduction Exodus 24 brings everything to a head.God has delivered His people, brought them to Sinai, and given them His law. Now the question is not just how they should live—but how a holy God can live among a sinful people.This chapter answers that. The covenant is not just spoken—it is confirmed. The people agree to obey, sacrifices are made, and blood is applied. Then God allows leaders of Israel to come near and experience His presence. The message is clear: Access to God is possible—but it is never casual. It is always through blood.   Outline: "Access by Blood" I. Receive Don’t just hear God’s Word—submit to it. Exodus 24:3 — “All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.” James 1:22 — “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only…” God’s standard hasn’t changed. We don’t define truth—God does. - Don’t pick and choose what you obey - Don’t just agree with truth—live it II. Rely Our access to God is not earned—it is provided. Exodus 24:8 — “Behold the blood of the covenant…” Hebrews 9:22 — “Without shedding of blood is no remission.” What Exodus points to is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. - Stop trusting your performance to make you right with God - When you fail, don’t run from God—run to Him through Christ. Rest in what has already been finished III. Reverence We have access—but we do not treat God lightly. Exodus 24:9–10 — They saw God and stood in His presence - God is still holy. Worship is still serious. - Approach God with humility, not casualness - Take your time with Him—don’t rush His presence - Let your life reflect that you know who you are dealing with Conclusion: They agreed to obey…They were covered by blood…And they were brought near. Access to God is real. But it was never cheap. It was bought with blood. A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks. To contact me, please email me at [email protected]   

Title: Missing the Mark Text: Exodus 20–23 Introduction The story so far. Israel is in bondage in Egypt. They cry out for deliverance and God sends them Moses. Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh and exposes the false gods of Egypt as well as the hardened heart of Pharaoh who refuses to let the Israelites go despite the plagues God unleashes on Egypt. Pharaoh finally lets Israel go after the 10th and final plague where every firstborn of Egypt died because they were not protected by the blood of the Passover lamb. Israel was set free but then pursued by Egypt. God miraculously divided the Red Sea for Israel to cross but then the Egyptians were drowned in teh process of going after Israel. Through the plagues, the Passover, and the Red Sea, God makes it clear: salvation isn’t earned—it’s delivered. The people are brought out, but quickly show what’s in their hearts—complaining, doubting, missing the mark again and again. Yet God provides anyway—water from the rock, bread from heaven, and victory over enemies. By chapter 19, they’re standing at Sinai—not as slaves anymore, but as a people set apart. The message is clear: God redeems first, then calls His people to Himself. Now, we come to Exodus 20-23 which is known as when God gives His law to His people at Mt. Sinai. Why Did God Give the Law? A. To Command — God Establishes the law because He is the authority. He is Righteous and He is Just.  Exodus 20:1–2 — “I am the LORD thy God…” Deuteronomy 6:4–5 — “The LORD our God is one LORD…” Ecclesiastes 12:13 — “Fear God, and keep his commandments…” - Authority starts with God not man. God speaks first. - The law flows from who God is, not the opinions of man. - Obedience is a response to redemption (“I brought you out…”) - Establishes God as the standard, not culture or self B. To Constrain— (To keep His Children from sin) Exodus 20:13–17 — Commands that restrain harm Psalm 119:11 — “Thy word have I hid in mine heart…” Galatians 3:23 — “Kept under the law…” - The law sets clear boundaries for behavior and character - Prevents society from descending into chaos. All out anarchy. It gives a mark. A standard. - Protects life, marriage, truth, and property - Functions as a guardrail, not just a rulebook - Even unbelievers benefit from the law. (The law restrains which protects) C. To Convict — God Reveals Sin Romans 3:20 — “By the law is the knowledge of sin” Romans 7:7 — “I had not known sin, but by the law…” Galatians 3:24 — “The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ” - The law exposes not just actions—the Law exposes the Herth - Shows we don’t just break rules—we fall short of God - The Law Removes self-righteousness - ** The Law shows us that we have missed the Mark for Righteousness* - Drives us to see our need for grace and a Savior - The law diagnoses—the gospel delivers God commands what is right, contains what is wrong, and convicts the heart that’s off target. Do We Still Keep All the Laws? The Law Is Fulfilled in Christ Short answer:  - Matthew 5:17 — “I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” - Colossians 2:16–17 — These things were a shadow—Christ is the reality. Jesus perfectly obeyed the law He fulfilled its purpose. The law pointed to Him We Are No Longer Under the Law for Salvation - Romans 6:14 — “Not under the law, but under grace.” - Galatians 2:16 — Not justified by the works of the law - We don’t keep the law to be saved - Salvation is by grace through faith - The law cannot make us righteous God’s Moral Standard Still Matters - Romans 13:8–10 — Love fulfills the law - John 14:15 — “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” - God’s character hasn’t changed - Right and wrong haven’t changed - The moral law is reflected in loving God and loving people What No Longer Applies the Same Way Ceremonial Laws (sacrifices, feasts, rituals) Fulfilled in Christ Civil Laws for Israel (nation-specific laws) Given to Israel as a nation, not directly binding today The Key Distinction  Moral Law = the principle (the mark) Civil Law = the application (how Israel handled it) Example: Moral: “Thou shalt not steal” Civil: “If someone steals an ox, repay fourfold” (application in Israel) Why We Still Obey Moral laws (Commandments)  1. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” 2. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image…” 3. “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain…” 4. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” 5. “Honour thy father and thy mother…” 6. “Thou shalt not kill.” 7. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” 8. “Thou shalt not steal.” 9. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” 10. “Thou shalt not covet…” We keep them:  - Not to earn salvation → but because we are saved - Not external pressure → but internal transformation - Not fear-based → but love-driven Clarifying Truth Israel wasn’t saved by the law—they were saved by God, and the law was given to reveal His standard, guide His people, and expose their need. Outline: “Missing the Mark” I.  Our Standard (Chapter 20) God sets the Mark -God establishes the standard—this is what holiness looks like -1 Peter 1:15–16 — “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” -God’s standard didn’t change—His holiness is still the mark -- We miss the mark of God's Holiness. This is why we have Jesus.  II. Our Struggle (Chapters 21–22) We miss the mark - Life reveals the reality—this is how people actually live (and miss the mark) - Romans 3:23 — “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” - Real life proves it—we don’t live up to the standard - Not only do we need Grace to be Saved, we also need Grace to live Holy lives. III. Our Submission (Chapter 23) Through our yielding and surrender we can live Holy lives through Christ - God still leads His people forward—this is how they are to walk with Him - Ephesians 2:10 — “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works…” - We’re not just saved from something—we’re called to walk in something Conclusion God sets the standard, our lives fall short, but through Christ we live Holy. We hit the mark because of Jesus.  We are declared righteous through him.   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks. To contact me, please email me at [email protected] 

02) Exodus 13-19 Title: Grace Despite our Failure Text: Exodus 13-19 The Story so far: So far in Exodus we’ve seen the people of Israel go from a family living in Egypt to a nation suffering under slavery. A new Pharaoh rose up who did not know Joseph, and he began to oppress God’s people because he feared their growing numbers. In the middle of that suffering, God preserved a baby boy named Moses, who would one day become the deliverer of Israel. God later called Moses at the burning bush and sent him back to Egypt to confront Pharaoh with a clear message: “Let my people go.” Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his heart, and God responded with a series of plagues that showed His power over Egypt and all of its gods. Finally, in Exodus 12, God established the Passover. The blood of the lamb protected the Israelites from judgment, and that night God struck Egypt with the final plague. Pharaoh finally let Israel go, and God began delivering His people out of slavery. Now as we move forward into Exodus chapters 13 through 19, Israel has been delivered from Egypt—but their journey with God is really just beginning. They are no longer slaves, but they are still learning what it means to trust the Lord. And as we read these chapters, we see something very important: even though God has rescued them, the people struggle with fear, doubt, and complaining along the way. Yet through all of it, God continues to guide them, provide for them, and show patience toward them. What happens in Exodus 13-19: Exodus 13 – God Leads His People After the Passover, God leads Israel out of Egypt with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The Lord personally guides His people as they begin their journey into the wilderness. Grace: God leads His people even when they are inexperienced and uncertain. “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.” (Exodus 13:21 KJV) Failure: Though God is visibly guiding them, the people will soon struggle with fear and trust as difficulties arise. Exodus 14 – Crossing the Red Sea When Pharaoh’s army pursues Israel, the people become terrified and accuse Moses of bringing them into the wilderness to die. Yet God miraculously parts the Red Sea and rescues them. Grace: God saves His people even when they doubt Him. “And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.” (Exodus 14:22 KJV) Failure: Fear replaces faith when danger appears. “Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?” (Exodus 14:11 KJV) Exodus 15 – Celebration and Complaining After the Red Sea, Israel sings a great song of victory praising God for delivering them from Egypt. Yet only a few days later, they begin complaining about the lack of water. Grace: God provides for them by making the bitter waters of Marah sweet. “There he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them.” (Exodus 15:25 KJV) Failure: Their praise quickly turns into complaining. “And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?” (Exodus 15:24 KJV) Exodus 16 – Manna from Heaven The people complain again, this time about food, saying they wish they had remained in Egypt. Instead of abandoning them, God sends manna from heaven and quail to feed them. Grace: God faithfully provides their daily needs. “Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you.” (Exodus 16:4 KJV) Failure: They long for the comfort of their old life in Egypt. “Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 16:3 KJV) Exodus 17 – Water from the Rock The people again complain because they have no water and begin questioning whether God is truly with them. God commands Moses to strike the rock, and water flows out for the people. Grace: God provides water and later gives Israel victory over Amalek. “Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it.” (Exodus 17:6 KJV) Failure: They openly question God’s presence among them. “Is the LORD among us, or not?” (Exodus 17:7 KJV) Exodus 18 – Wise Leadership Moses becomes overwhelmed trying to judge every dispute among the people. Jethro advises him to appoint capable leaders to help share the responsibility. Grace: God provides wisdom and structure through Jethro’s counsel to strengthen the nation. Failure: Without wise leadership and organization, the burden becomes too great for one man. Exodus 19 – Preparing for the Covenant Israel arrives at Mount Sinai where God prepares to establish His covenant with them. Before giving the law, God reminds them how He rescued them from Egypt. Grace: God reminds them of His mercy and deliverance before calling them to obedience. “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.” (Exodus 19:4 KJV) Failure: Even after everything God has done, the people will continue to struggle with trust and obedience in the chapters ahead. The Key Pattern: God rescues Israel Israel celebrates There is a problem Israel panics and complains God shows grace and provides again We learning in these passages that God is Gracious and slow to Anger. We learn that the day to day for Moses was too much and he needed wise council.  We learn that Israel's pattern of murmuring and complaining is a theme until they reach the promised land. Outline: I. Grace in a Guilty World Even in a fallen world full of sin and suffering, God still intervenes to redeem His people. Romans 5:8 (KJV) “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” This verse perfectly shows that God’s grace reaches us even in our guilt. II. Grace Despite our Grievances Israel repeatedly murmured and complained in the wilderness, yet God still showed patience and provision. Exodus 16:8 (KJV) “For that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.” This connects directly to Israel’s complaining in the wilderness. III. Grace through Godly Guidance God often extends grace through the wise counsel and help of others. Proverbs 11:14 (KJV) “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” This fits perfectly with Jethro’s counsel to Moses in Exodus 18. Conclusion: Romans 5:20 (KJV) “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Even when people fail, even when they complain, even when the world is broken, God’s grace is greater.”   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks. To contact me, please email me at [email protected]   

Title:  "Jesus Christ, Our Passover" Text:  1 Corinthians 5:7; Exodus 12:1-13 Theme: Jesus Christ is our Passover  Key Verse:  1 Corinthians 5:7 1 Corinthians 5:7 7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Exodus 12:1-13 3Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. Type – “A divinely appointed illustration of some scriptural truth.” Derived from Greek word “tupos” – impression, stamp, pattern, or form “A type must never be used to teach a doctrine, but only to illustrate a doctrine elsewhere explicitly taught.”  – Dr. J. Edwin Hartill The Passover  “To set forth the great truth of the whole Bible, the deliverance of man from the bondage and slavery to sin and the world.”  - Dr. Tom Wallace, Digest of the Old Testament. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,”- Eph 2:4  Introduction:  Exodus 12:1-13 - To deliver the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt - 1.)Water turned to blood - 2.) Frogs infested the land - 3.) Lice throughout the land - 4.) Grievous swarm of flies - 5.) Cattle of the Egyptians died, but the Israelites cattle lived - 6.) Boils to man and beast - 7.) Hail - 8.) Locust - 9.) Darkness - 10.) The Firstborn slain Psalm 78:49-51 King James Version (KJV) 49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham: What is the type of this story? What is the truth that is set forth? “To set forth the great truth of the whole Bible, the deliverance of man from the bondage and slavery to sin and the world.”  - Dr. Tom Wallace, Digest of the Old Testament. The deliverance of man from the bondage of sin. 1 Timothy 1:15 KJV: This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.     A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks. To contact me, please email me at [email protected] 

Title: “ Keeping the Faith” Text: Exodus 6-11 Introduction: A. Call - God calls Moses in Exodus 3 and 4. - He understands Israel’s affliction and pain. - He promises deliverance and rest. Relate this as a type of Salvation as a whole. B. Command - God gives Moses a specific command to deliver people in Exodus 3 and 4. - Tells Moses everything He needs to know and exactly what to do.  - relate this to service as a whole. C. Consistency - God calls Moses and commands him. - In exodus 5 Moses faces discouragement. He and Aaron are blamed by Israel. Pharaoh refuses to listen, and his people follow him blindly. (Contrast to earlier in book when midwives defied Pharaoh by not murdering male babies and pharaohs own daughter disobeyed him by saving Moses) - tie consistency in with the title “keeping the faith” Outline:  Exodus 6–11 shows Moses and Aaron facing growing resistance and pressure as they obey God. In Exodus 6, Moses feels discouraged. Pharaoh has already made Israel’s labor harder, and the people are losing heart. Even after God renews His promises, the Israelites “hearken not” because of their suffering. In Exodus 7–10, Moses and Aaron repeatedly confront Pharaoh. Through the escalating plagues, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened—sometimes by himself, sometimes by God. Each time relief comes, Pharaoh backs out. The tension increases, and opposition becomes more intense. By Exodus 11, Moses announces the final plague. The conflict has reached its peak. What began as doubt and discouragement has turned into a full spiritual and political showdown, with Moses standing firm—but under immense pressure. To keep the faith, Remember three things: 1.  There is Provision found in God’s Promises.  - Provision - "the action of providing or supplying something for use." - God always makes a way. - He is working in the background despite the actions of others. - (strength - Phil 4:13; Philippians 4:19 - But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.) 2. There is Perseverance found in God’s Presence. - God remains with His people through plagues and pressure  - God promises to never leave us or forsake us. - Hebrews 13:5 - Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. - His strength is make perfect in weakness.  - He will give us what we need for each task 3. There is Power found in God’s Purpose.  - God’s purpose carries power because it will be accomplished, regardless of opposition. -God’s purpose overrules human resistance.  - “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.”— Proverbs 19:21 Conclusion: Gladiator illustration - They were equipped for battle. - They were empowered by their commander. - And they were devoted to their leader A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks. To contact me, please email me at [email protected]   

Title: "Going against the Mob" Text: Exodus 5 Theme: Mob Mentality Introduction: People can change when they are in crowds. We can lose our identity and critical thinking  to something called a "Mob Mentality".  Herd Mentality: "the tendency of the people in a group to think and behave in ways that conform with others in the group rather than as individuals" - Webster "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect," - Mark Twain Stanford Prison Experiment Prisonexp.org  " WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PUT GOOD PEOPLE IN AN EVIL PLACE? DOES HUMANITY WIN OVER EVIL, OR DOES EVIL TRIUMPH?" "How we went about testing these questions and what we found may astound you. Our planned two-week investigation into the psychology of prison life had to be ended after only six days because of what the situation was doing to the college students who participated. In only a few days, our guards became sadistic and our prisoners became depressed and showed signs of extreme stress..."–Professor Philip G. Zimbardo Mob Mentality is a real psychological phenomenon.  It can affect our: Behaviors; Morals; Emotional state; Intelligence; and even our Identity.  Bible Examples: - Israel (Golden Calf; The large group with Korah; murmuring in the wilderness; refusal to go into the Promised land; Angry mob at Jesus crcifixion; The Mob who went against Stephen -  The Mob at Sodom - Joseph's Brothers - Riot in Ephesus against Paul Historical Examples: - New York Blackout of 1977 - Gordon Riots (London) - Nazi Germany Fiction examples: - Lord of the Flies by William Golding - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - 1984 George Orwell Practical Examples: - Wanting to be accepted (standing up video) - Trends on Social media - Social Gatherings - Groupthink at work - Us vs them mentality - Cancel Culture Before we self reflect, let's look at Exodus 5 and see how a Mob Mentality surfaces in our story. Moses and Aaron obeyed God as individuals. They responded to God's command to deliver His people from Egypt. Unfortunately for them, they faced this Mob Mentality with not only Egypt, but with their own people.  Not only did Moses and Aaron have to fight the Mob of Egypts Oppression and Slavery, they also had to fight the Mob of Israel's pessimism and hopelessness.  A. Egypts Blind Obedience and Defiance - There was behavior of Ignorance with Egypt. No record of any discernment of Egyptian leaders showing Pharaoh's autocratic system.  Think of how far we have come from the midwives who resisted Pharaoh, from his own daughter who took a huge role in saving Moses. These people were not puppets.  - There was Character and identity displayed in the early chapters of exodus. Now there appears to be silence and blind devotion.  B. Israel's Blame and Discouragement (Israel blames Moses) - Israel blamed Moses for making things worse - The foreman approach Moses and Aaron - Israel chose to be discouraged over keeping Faith in God It's time to self-reflect on Mob/Herd mentality and ask those hard questions: 1.) Do I see this? 2.) How do I guard against it? 3) Am I someone who does this? - Here is the million dollar question... If I can change so easily depending on who is around me or the circumstances I am in... than who am I? Outline: Go against the Mob Three Words: I.  Identity - know who you are.  - ** personality test** pros and cons of each. Too confrontational; too passive (peace keeper. Difference between peace maker and keeper. We know scripture teaches us that peace is not the opposite of tribulation. Real peace is found in Tribulation.)  - This is why knowing who you are in Christ is so important - know why you believe what you believe - Community becomes our identity if we are not careful. Have a strong identity in Christ. - Our Identity will determine how we handle this. Message (Politics, etc.) Illlust. Of passive aggressive sermon John 6:64-69 64But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. 65And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 66From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 67Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. II. Insight - Ask for Wisdom - Get Knowledge - Pray for Discernment James 1:5 - If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 3:17 - But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. Proverbs 3:13 "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding." - There is a difference between Group Decisions; Social norms and Mob/Herd Mentality or Groupthink. A huge difference between being a law abiding citizen and a person who loses all rational thinking because of a group.  - Stopping and thinking. Knowing when to pause, process, and leave conversations or situations.  - Why am I doing what I'm doing? Why do I believe what I believe? Why do I spend so much time with ...? Why am I so passionate about...? Will this even matter in Eternity? Etc.  - Having insight is critical for our duty as Christians. We need to pray for Wisdom and Discernment ( our tasks; beliefs, passions; etc.) MARS hill example III. Intent - know the Why - What are our goals? (Peacekeeper vs peacemaker)  - "What you do is who you become"   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.

Title:  God's Answers for our Distress Text: Exodus 3,4 Theme: Mental Health What if I am not good enough? What if no one believes me? What if I mess up? What if something goes wrong? There are many uncertainties we can face before undertaking a task. Some of them can be healthy, others can be unhealthy.  Introduction: A.E.W. Mason's novel "The Four Feathers" is about a young British officer, Harry Feversham,  who resigns from his regiment just before deployment to the Sudan. He is branded a coward by his fiancée and three fellow officers and friends, who each send him a feather to symbolize his cowardice. To restore his honor, Harry goes to the Sudan in disguise to prove his bravery and save his friends' lives. The orders to go to the Sudan leave Harry feeling uncertain. He is conflicted about the thoughts of war, and does not want to leave his fiancée. His friends and fiancée see his actions as cowardly, but it was also a very human response to the uncertainty he was feeling. Life can be very unpredictable, and the anxiety, fear, and doubts that Harry experiences are something we can all relate to one way or another.  We also see Moses's uncertainty in response to God's call to deliver Egypt. The story so far: Exodus 1 describes the Israelites' enslavement in Egypt and Pharaoh's attempts to control their population growth through forced labor and the killing of male babies, which the Hebrew midwives defied. Exodus 2 details the birth of Moses, his mother's plan to save him in the Nile, his rescue by Pharaoh's daughter, and his eventual growth to adulthood. It also covers Moses killing an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew slave, fleeing to Midian, and the circumstances that led to his escape.   The Israelites are in bondage in Egypt. Pharaoh has attempted to control them not only by cruel means of enslavement, but also by killing the boy babies. A little baby boy named Moses is born, and he is ultimately saved by Pharaoh's daughter, with the help of his sister. He is nursed by his own mother but is raised by Pharoahs daughter. The Israelites are still enslaved and a grown up Moses witnesses the mistreating of an Israelite by an Egyptian, and kills the Egyptian in cold blood. Fearing for his life, Moses fleas to Midian where he meets his wife and begins a new life as a Shepherd.  This leads us to God's call of Moses. Moses is tending to his father-in-law's flock of sheep when he receives his divine calling.  The call of God to Moses: A. Clear It is clear to Moses that this call is from God. God uses a burning bush that is not consumed by the fire to get Moses attention. This bush can be seen as a picture of Israel (on fire from the persecution of Egypt, but not totally consumed). God speaks to Moses in a clear voice and Moses knows who he is talking to. (God deserves our reverence. God's Word is clear to us. Tasks taht are unclear are hard. It's hard following leadership taht is unclear and non consistent illustration) It is clear to Moses what God is calling him to do and why.  "The most important role of a leader is to set a clear direction, be transparent about how to get there and to stay the course." — Irene Rosenfeld.  "Clarity is kindness." — Jacqueline M. Usher B. Comprehensive "We will cross that bridge when we get there"; "I dont think that is going to happen"; "We can what-if this thing to death" are not words God gives Moses. (Illustration of being able to have a dialogue instead of a monologue when you command and challenge people.) God answers Moses questions and concerns with clear and direct responses. He tells him exactly what he will encounter and promises to give him what he needs. This is an example we should all follow. C. Crucial God's people have cried out to God for help and God is answering them. The call God is giving Moses is a crucial call. Not every opportunity is a crucial one and it does not demand our attention. God has made it clear to Moses that this call is from him, what he needs to do, and why he needs to do it. The why of our current objective is essential. Before we get into Mosess uncertainty, let's keep a couple of things in mind: Moses nearly escaped death as a baby. Egypt was a dangerous place, and the times had changed drastically after Joseph died and a new Pharaoh came into power. Moses murdered an Egyptian, and the act was known. He fled Egypt for his life. His life started in Egypt by escaping death, and he left Egypt to escape death. Now God is calling him back. Moses grew up in disguise as an Egyptian. While God's people were enslaved and suffering, Moses was in the house of Pharaoh, being raised by his daughter. Now, God is calling Moses to deliver these people and lead them. History tells us that Moses fled Egypt when he was around 40 years old, the call of God to Moses doesn't take place until Moses is 80 years old. The next three words describe words that make any task difficult, and God has answer for each one: 1.) Adversity; 2.)Anxiety; and 3.) Agreements. Outline: I. God has an answer for our Adversity - Exodus 3:10-22 God tells Moses who He is "I AM" The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph God gives Moses what he needs for the Egyptians. Isaiah 41:10, God will strengthen and help us, and John 16:33, where Jesus says he has overcome the world and we can have peace. Joshua 1:9, Philippians 4:13, and Psalm 46:1.  Overcoming the world Psalm 11:2, "For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart." II. God has an answer for our Anxiety - Exodus 4:1-9 Philippians 4:6-7  "6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Summarize Exodus 4:1-9 III. God has an answer for our Agreements - Exodus 4:10-17 10 And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. I'm too ....... (I'm clumsy;'m stupid; etc.) (Bible College) I'll always be in bondage/addicted... PSALM 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. God won't forgive me/doesn't care." T(Romans 8, 1 John 1:9). My mistakes define me (2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.). I'm not good enough 2 Cor 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." Conclusion: God has an answer for: Our Adversity Our Anxiety Our Agreements   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.  

Title: The Faith that Overcomes Text: Exodus 2 Theme: Faith Key Verse: Exodus 2:23-25 Introduction:  Exodus 1 describes the Israelites' enslavement in Egypt and Pharaoh's attempts to control their population growth through forced labor and the killing of male babies, which the Hebrew midwives defied. Exodus 2 details the birth of Moses, his mother's plan to save him in the Nile, his rescue by Pharaoh's daughter, and his eventual growth to adulthood. It also covers Moses killing an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew slave, fleeing to Midian, and the circumstances that led to his escape.   Exodus 2:23-25 "23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them." What are stress responses? Stress responses are our natural responses to perceived threats or challenges. You have probably heard of fight or flight, but there are two others: freeze or fawn. Fight: You confront the threat head-on. Flight: You run from the threat.  Freeze: You don't move because of the threat.  Fawn: You appease the threat. (Extreme passive, people pleasing, etc) There are many scenarios we can use, but let's say you are at work and witness a coworker yelling at another coworker, which you perceive as a threat.  Fight: You immediately step in and confront the threat head-on. You may yell back, physically restrain, tackle, or take any other necessary action to stop the threat, regardless of the context. In this scenario, you take the side of the victim. Flight: You walk away. You turn around and leave the room, or pretend you never saw it. You go and ask for help. Regardless, your response involves you running away. Freeze: You stand there and do nothing.  Fawn: You appease the aggressor. You give in to their demands and do what you can to calm them down. In this scenario, it could almost appear that you are taking sides with the aggressor.  (Flop= total resignation) Just like you, I have reacted in all four of these ways at different times in many stories. Scenarios where I stayed and fought, where I ran away, froze,  or yielded. Here are some biblical examples: Fight: Moses sees an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite, so he kills him. Cain killed Abel because God rejected Cain's offering of good works.  Flight: Moses ran because of Pharaoh. Adam and the woman ran because they realized they were naked. Elijah ran to the Juniper tree. Freeze: Based on what scripture tells us, Moses just stood there and feared when he realized others knew that he had killed the Egyptian. That is a freeze response. Saul, Jonathan, and the rest of the Israelites when Goliath initially challenged them.  Fawn: Prov 29:5"A man that flattereth his neighbor Spreadeth a net for his feet." , Proverbs 29: 26 "Many seek the rulers favor; but every man's judgment cometh from the LORD"  These are not healthy ways to respond. However, being able to perceive a threat and survive is by design. God gave us defense mechanisms that can sense danger and react to threats. However, it is essential to note that God does not want us to live in a state of constant fear and survival. Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn are all rooted in Fear.  2 Timothy 1:7: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. So what is the alternative response to threats? (explain the the three enemies) 1 John 5:4: For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. NOTICE the last three words: "Even our Faith" Faith: David fought Goliath, but this was not a response of fear. This was a response of Bravery and Courage rooted in David's Faith in God.  Faith: Joseph ran from Potiphar's wife. Not because he was afraid of her, but because of His Faith. Faith: Job was still and sat in dust in ashes. Not because he was frozen in fear, but because of His Faith that God knows best.   Faith: Jesus told us to turn the other cheek, not to keep the peace by fawning out of fear to our oppressor, but to attempt to make peace by loving, praying for, and giving the truth to your oppressor. This is not fawning, but Following God and deeply rooted in Faith.  1 John 4:18 - There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. Fight, flight, freeze, fawn, or even flopping are rooted and fear. The other option is FAITH.  Outline: Exodus 2:23-25 "23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them." I. Faith in God's Providence (Sovereign Control) - His Divine and total Governance over all things. He upholds and directs all things to His ultimate Will.  - Children of Israel were in bondage, but had Faith that God was ultimately in control - Some verses about God's Providence: - [ ] - Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive"  - [ ] - Psalm 135:6 "Whatsoever the LORD pleased that did he in the heaven, and in the earth, in the seas, and all deep places." II. Faith in God's Protection - God protects His Children. Children of Israel cry out to God  and He hears them. - "He that dwellers in the secret place of the most High shall abide under that shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge, and my fortress: my God' in Him will I trust." -  Leah Example III. Faith in God's Promises - Proverbs 3:5,6  - Emphasis on the last part "lean not unto thine own understanding" - Trust is the key to intimacy  -  Johnathan example 1 Sam 14 A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.   To contact me, please email me at [email protected]     

Title: "The Real You Comes Out" or "True Character Reveals Itself" Text: Exodus 1 Theme: Character The definition of the word Character is "the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual." Your character reveals the kind of person you are. It shows your true personality, underlying beliefs, top priorities, and deepest desires. Character reveals itself over time, mainly in moments of adversity, failure, or triumph.  Some practical examples include doing the right thing when no one is watching, having the power or position to get away with something but refusing to do so, or choosing to take the moral high ground in a situation where you were wronged and can exact revenge. There are Biblical examples of True Character: David's true Character revealed itself in many different scenarios. As a young shepherd boy, he protected his flock by killing a lion and a bear. He defended the name of God and Israel by slaying the Giant Goliath. In all of this, he remained humble and gave God the Glory. As the future King of Israel, he had the opportunity to kill King Saul after being wrongfully hunted because of jealousy. David was not only anointed by God, but he was loyal to the King and country and a valiant warrior. Saul was so jealous of David that he tried to kill him, but his life was spared twice by David, in the cave of Adullam and the wilderness of Ziph. When he was King, David committed a great sin by having Uriah the Hittite put in the heat of the battle because he desired Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, and committed adultery with her. David's Character comes to light when he acknowledged his sin and repented in Psalm 51.  Joseph showed his true Character after being betrayed by his brothers and wrongfully accused by Potiphar's wife, but then eventually rose to power and had an opportunity to get even.  On earth, the Lord Jesus was challenged, interrupted, opposed, and mistreated; yet, in every situation and scenario, He demonstrated love, humility, patience, kindness, and compassion. True Character reveals itself in Exodus chapter 1. Exodus chapter 1 is a continuation of the last chapter of Genesis. Joseph has passed away, but the Israelites are still in Egypt and have multiplied. There is a new King of Egypt, a different Pharaoh than the one Joseph had, and he sees the children of Israel as threats and chooses to be cruel by enslaving them and giving them taskmasters. They are obedient and built "treasured cities" for Pharaoh and even continued to multiply. Pharaoh sees them as a threat and tells his midwives to kill the Hebrew babies when they are born if they are male. The midwives refused to do this because they feared God, which in turn brought them blessings from God. The chapter concludes with Pharaoh commanding Egypt to murder the Hebrew babies that were born male by throwing them into the River. How is true Character revealed in Exodus chapter 1? (Maybe combine these? Remove them and then combine?) God - God keeps His Promises. - God is Merciful - God reveals Himself and is Gracious Pharaoh - He saw them (Israel) as a threat and a foe (Herod and Jesus' example). Why are your enemies your enemies?  - He conspired against them using harsh methods and unspeakable acts of violence against innocent babies. The Midwives - Feared God - Chose to disobey Pharaoh. They refused to kill innocent children even after their own King told them to. The Children of Israel - Obeyed Pharaoh despite being oppressed. - Gave the Word of God to the midwives.  As an application... Read Title: "The Real You Comes Out" or "True Character Reveals Itself" Q: WHO ARE YOU? The Real you will be revealed... A. Time Time is a wonderful truth teller. First impressions, cultural norms, performances,  can all be masks of a person's Character. Over time, how a person spends their time and how much time is spent with someone will reveal who they are.  (Work illustration) - Best Resume and impressive clothes - But over time, you will reveal if you were a good hire through (being on time, taking ownership, handling conflict, interruptible, etc.)  - You can "fake it til you make it" all day long, but what happens once you make it?  (If you have the skillset for that job, and you just did what was needed to help get the job, you'll be fine...but if not, your in trouble) You can use this for other areas of life (Finding a mate... impressing a person but then a marriage falls apart; reaching a goal... losing weight but gain in all back because no lifestyle change ) B. Trials "Listen to what people say when they are mad, that's when the truth comes out." Ziad K. Abdelnour (Zee-ad K. Ab-del-NOOR) “You find out who your real friends are when you’re involved in a scandal.” — Elizabeth Taylor One of the best ways to show a persons true colors is who they are during trials. - During and after conflicts/scandals/etc.  C. Tribe If you truly want to get to know me, ask my Wife and Children who I am. Look to my friends and close family to figure out who I really am. Family of some of the most renowned people have later came out and revealed who they really were.  Who you are at work and Church is one thing. Who you are at home is another.  RECAP: The Real You comes out... The Lord Jesus said "...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" - Matthew 12:34b Exodus 1 tells us what we need to expect out of the rest of the Book ( A Merciful, Faithful, and Gracious God)  Outline: True Character Reveals itself through: I. Our Identity 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." - Our old nature of: Shame, Lying; blame shifting; anger; hate; etc. is no longer our nature. We now want love, peace; joy; forgiveness - Giving into sin is not who we want to be (Romans 7 tongue twister) - Going against the Mob illustration II. Our Intentions Mark 16:15 "15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."  Phil 1:21 "21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." There is an old saying that who you are when no one else is around is who you really are. This is very true. These are some very deep questions to ask ourselves. III. Our Influence Jim Rohn once famously stated, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with“. Later on, we see examples of how Egypt and Israel will act and behave with a Mob Mentality.  Proverbs 13:20 "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed," Conclusion: - Who are you? - The people who see the real you, what do they see? - What do you want the people who know you best to say about you as a recap of who you really are?   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.  

Title:  Joseph, the son of Jacob, a type of Jesus Christ. Text: Gen. 37-45 Key Verses: Gen. 37:1-11 Introduction:  Who?  Joseph, the son of Jacob What?  The most complete type of Jesus Christ in all the Bible  Where? The Old Testament When? The Genesis stage (1898—1806 Joseph timeline) Why?  A divinely appointed illustration of the ministry and exaltation of Jesus Christ through the life of Joseph. Type - “A divinely appointed illustration of some scriptural truth.” Derived from Greek word “tupos” – impression, stamp, pattern, or form “A type must never be used to teach a doctrine, but only to illustrate a doctrine elsewhere explicitly taught.” – Dr. J. Edwin Hartill How? Genesis 37:1-11 Genesis 37:1-11 King James Version 37 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. 4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. 5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. 8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. 9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.   His Caption: v.2a “Joseph” Joseph The two names of Joseph typify the Lord Jesus Christ.  Joseph – “let him add, he increases” (Cloud), is symbolic of the earthly nature of the Lord Jesus."Joseph means adding (see Genesis 30:24).  Genesis 30:24 24And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son. The first Adam was the great subtractor, the last Adam is the great Adder: through the one, men became lost; by the other, all who believe are saved. Christ is the One who "adds" to Heaven's inhabitants. It was to this end that He came to this earth, tabernacled among men for more than thirty years, and then died on the Cross: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" – A.W. Pink   Zaphnathpaaneah – “Revealer of secrets” (Cloud) is symbolic of the Divine nature of the Lord Jesus. Joseph was the revealer of secrets in many ways. He revealed the hearts of both his Father and his brethren. When the Lord Jesus came, He revealed the heart of the Father as well as exposing the heart of His brethren.    John 1:18 18No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.   Joseph was given this second name by Pharaoh because of his wisdom and understanding in interpreting dreams. Jesus Christ has all wisdom and understanding.    Psalm 147:5 5Great is our LORD, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.   “His understanding is infinite. To His intelligence there is no number: though He numbers the stars, His understanding is without number. It is infinite; therefore, He can know, as He can do, all things.” – Adam Clarke   Jesus There are many titles for Jesus; Lord, King, Creator, Alpha and Omega, etc. The two names are Jesus and Christ.   Jesus – “Savior” This was His earthly name given to Him because He would save His people from sin. Matthew 1:21 21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.   Christ – “Messiah, The anointed one”  “Messiah refers to the fact that Jesus was anointed by the Spirit of God and is the One chosen by God to be Lord and Savior.” – David Cloud   Isaiah 11:1-5 1And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.   “It is striking to notice that the Lordship of Christ is never divorced from His Saviorhood. Wherever He is presented to us in the pages of the New Testament as our precious Savior, He is also mentioned as God’s anointed one.”      His Career: v.2b “Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren;” Matthew 15:24 “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”   Joseph as a shepherd, “feeding the flock”, points to the earthly ministry of Christ, who inclined to the needs of others.    Matthew 9:36 - But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.   “No figure of Christ is more beautiful than this: our favorite Psalm (the twenty-third) presents Him in this character. One of our earliest conceptions of the Savior, as children, was as the Good Shepherd. The figure suggests His watchful care, His unwearied devotion, His tender solicitude, His blessed patience, His protecting grace, His matchless love in giving His life for the sheep.” – A.W. Pink   His Character: v.2 “and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.” Joseph displays his character early on by opposing evil and speaking the truth. Joseph did not give his father an evil report, because he himself was trying to be spiteful, but because he was upright, and he loved the truth. Saying nothing about his brother’s evil ways would have only meant Joseph partook in it.    James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”    Because of his uprightness and honesty, he was hated by his brethren.    John 7:7 7The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.   John 8:40 “But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.”   D.  His Coat Gen 37:2,3 Genesis 37:3 3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.       -Designed just for him by his Father, put on by his father God has put something on every one of His Children- His Righteousness Illustration of Self Righteousness *This Garment Represents the believer's Change- Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:   Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.   Outline: Gen. 37:1-11 His Ridicule & Rejection: Gen 37-39 His Response & Revelation: Gen 40  His Restoration & Rise: Gen 41-45 A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.  

Title: Jacob’s Turning Point Text:  Genesis 32:24-30 Theme:  Jacob yielding to God Key Verse:  Gen 32:24 Wrestling Match that happens to be the turning point of Jacob’s life Turning Point (Webster’s Dictionary)- a point at which a significant change occurs. Read Title: Jacob’s Turning Point Introduction:  Who?   Jacob (heel-catcher, deceitful, clever) Son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, Father of Joseph Inherited Abraham’s blessing and became the father of the 12 tribes of Israel  What?  In this passage, we see his Surrender to God (Peak of his life, turning point) Where?   Peniel (the face of God) Him and his family are leaving Haran and going to Bethel When Dated at 1906 B.C. after Jacob left Laban(uncle) and before he was reunited with Esau (brother) Joseph was very little at this time, Benjamin had not been born yet Why?  He was told to return to Bethel by the Lord in a dream (Gen 31:11-13) God had a plan for Jacob and his 11 sons and it wasn’t in Haran, it was in Bethel Now, Bethel is very important place in the life of Jacob. God is calling him back •How?  Jacob’s Backsliding (very important verse – Gen 25:19-26) Jacob was God’s representative. God made a promise to Abraham that he would be the Father of a nation, confirmed it with Isaac, and confirmed it with Jacob. The chosen line that would lead directly to Christ.  Before Jacob can bear any fruit and be of any service he needed a turning point. Even though he was saved, he had made a lot of carnal decisions. Younger of two, twin brother named Esau (wrestled in the womb) Esau – red, earthy – was a man’s man. He was Isaac’s favorite. (All-American Boy) he was very physical, athletic Jacob – Mama’s boy, he did what his mommy told him to do, very deceitful and clever Took his brother’s birthright – Gen 25:27-34 Birthright – one who had it was the head of the home, who also would be the line to Christ (the priest of the family) Jacob had a hold of Esau’s heel when they were born, he was constantly trying to get that position of the older brother Esau could care less about the birthright, he didn’t care about being the spiritual leader of the home. He was red “earthy” he represents the flesh. He acted as if he was going to starve to death – this isn’t true. A boy out of the house of Abraham is not going to starve to death! He wanted it right then and there. God had already promised Rebekah that Esau would serve Jacob (“the elder shall serve the younger”) Instead of waiting on God, he does it his way, tricky deceitful way. Took his brother’s blessing – Gen 27 Isaac requested that Esau would go make him some venison so he could bless him. The blessing that Isaac received had to be passed on, so he wanted to pass it down to Esau. Instead, he passed it on to Jacob…dressed like Esau. (Rebekah dressed Jacob up like Esau and they tricked Isaac) However, something is missing. (illustration of this story) God has already promised this to Jacob! In the life of Jacob (as well as home of Isaac), you will find there is a lot of unnecessary sin. There is trickery, bargaining, heartache, deceit, and it is all unnecessary. God has already promised him these things, but he was carnal, he was living in the flesh! Illustration of 1 John 1:9 Flee’s to Laban his uncle Rebekah wanted him to leave to protect him from Esau “few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away” this turned into a 20 year Journey! Rebekah would never see her son again. Salvation at Bethel – Gen 28:13-16 (compare to verse 20-22) Abrahamic covenant confirmed Dreams a dream (ladder going to heaven with Angels ascending and descending, Lord at the top) This is the place of Jacob’s salvation, up to this point there was greed and selfishness. Now Jacob is a changed man and had given his heart to God. However, he does not always live for him the way he should. He arrives at Haran and meets Laban’s 2 daughters (Rachel and Leah) Rachel was beautiful, well desired, and loved by Jacob Leah was…..well, Leah was Rachel’s sister  “tender eyed” – she wasn’t beautiful Rachal was a tree that blossomed, Leah was a girl who fell from the tree and hit every branch of the way down.” Jacob served for Rachel but got Leah, He reaped what he sowed. He was cocky and clever, and his life would show how he had to pay for that. He serves 14 years and now has 2 wives (polygamy) God does not approve of this! Just because it is in the Bible doesn’t mean God approves of it. Did God approve of what Adam did in the garden? Did he approve of David numbering the people? Jacob is backslidden and has many family troubles because of it. God has already made him a promise but Jacob did things his own way, and he suffered greatly for it. Jacob’s Burden – Gen 31-32 He is told of God to leave He is accused of his uncle for stealing, many family problems Genesis 32:9-10 Jacob’s burden (his uncle behind him, and his angry brother ahead of him) He cries to God for His mercy, He pleads and begs   So,what does he do? He goes back to his old ways (Gen 32:17-20) Butter him up Bribe him with hundreds of animals, his stocks Illustration of how we bring our burdens before God then carry them back with us and try to handle it our way.   Jacob’s Blessing – Gen 32 Jacob figures it is best to split up the group, so if Esau comes to avenge himself he can only get half of what he has.  He sends his family before him and now he is alone. All by himself, and he wrestles with someone. Hosea 12:1-5 The man he wrestled with was no other than Jehova, the preincarnate Christ. He wrestles with God and limps away a blessed man. A devoted man. God’s man. This was the turning point in Jacob’s life How much?  Read Title: Jacob’s Turning Point Turning Point (Webster’s Dictionary)- a point at which a significant change occurs. Jacob was God’s man, he was God’s representative. But he did not have a good testimony  “At Bethel he became a son of God, here he became a saint of God. He came away from Bethel with a new spring in his step; he came away from the Jabbok with a lasting limp in his walk. At Bethel he died to his sin; here he died to self.” – Dr. John Philips, Exploring Genesis   Are you backslidden? Are you carrying your own burden? If so, you need to turn things around.   Outline: “Jacob’s Turning Point” How did Jacob turn things around?   When he Got Alone – v.24 “There are so many people who want to get together to have a great prayer meeting or other great gatherings. Friend, have you ever tried being alone? That is where God will meet with you. Take the Word of God and go off alone with Him. It will do you a lot of good.”  Dr. J. Vernon McGee   Need to turn things around? Get alone with God.   Proverbs 18:1 - Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh [and] intermeddleth with all wisdom.   We need to have our time alone with God. Yes, we need our time with the Brethren, but we also need that time with God! We need to listen to that “still small voice” 1 Kings 19:11-13King James Version (KJV) 11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. We have a hard time listening to God, because we don’t get alone with Him! Illustration of how loud the world can be. How loud the Church can be. Jacob had so much going on, he knew who he is, where he was going, but he was doing things his way! His life turned around when he got alone with God.   II.When he Got a Whooping (Chastised) – v.25   He wrestled with the Lord, and the Lord would end up crippling him.   Hebrews 12:6 6For whom the LORD loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.   Jacob’s turning point came when he was whooped.    We can get nowhere as Christians by struggling with God. God had to break Jacob…literally. God had to cripple him.     When he Gave Up (Yielded) – 26-30 Jacob is no longer wrestling here. He is holding on, he has gave up. Laban is behind him, Esau is before him, his troubles are all around him and God is right in front of him: and Jacob is not going to let go.   Whatever it is in your life that is keeping you from the fellowship with God, give it up.   Yield to the Lord.  No more trickery, selfishness, no more doing things my way. Let’s do things God’s way.   Illustration of God’s people who still try to do things their way. (we know what’s right, we know what the Bible says, but we do it anyway) Time to give up! Time to tap out! Time to let go!   His name is changed from Jacob (trickster, deceitful) to Israel (“for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men and hast prevailed”     Conclusion: “Jacob’s Turning Point” When he Got Alone – v.24 When he Got a Whooping (Chastised) – v.25 When he Gave Up (Yielded) – 26-30   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.

Text: Genesis 32:24-30 Title: Make it count Theme: Living for the Lord and letting Him use you  Introduction:  Jacob inherited Abraham’s blessing and became the father of the 12 tribes of Israel.  He was God’s representative. God made a promise to Abraham that he would be the Father of a nation, repeated it to Isaac, and confirmed it with Jacob. The chosen line that would lead directly to Christ. Genesis 25:23 23And the LORD said unto her, two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. In these passages, Jacob is wrestling with none other than the Pre-incarnate Christ (confirmed in Hosea 12:3-5) He is given a New name: His name is changed from Jacob (heel-catcher, crooked, deceitful, clever) to Israel (One who has power with God) He is given a new walk: His thigh is out of joint from the result of the wrestling match   That’s what the Lord can do for us. He can give us a new name and a new walk. He can take someone that is crooked and deceitful and turn it into one who has power with God. He can take a life full of heartache and defeat and turn it into triumph.   The Shortness of Days Brevity - Brief “The greatest surprise of life to me is the Brevity of life.” – Billy Graham James 4:14 14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. Job 14:1 1Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. Jacob had about 147 years for God. He had a purpose for being on this earth and then it was over.  We need to realize that we only have a short time to serve the Lord   The Significance of Decisions Not only are our days short, but we should realize the importance in the decisions we make and how precious time is. The decisions we make are critical regarding if our days count for Christ or not. “Don't count the days, make the days count.” (illustration of second shift – more worried about how much time left instead of what you are going to do with the time) Wasting time worried about how much time is left and not doing anything productive.  We are more worried about time itself than what we do with.   “Make today count, you’ll never get it back” (never get today back, did you spend time with the Lord, did you Worship? You will never get services back). I will never get 19 years of ministry back (relate to people) but let’s let the rest of our days count.    Did you know that there is a difference between being active and being productive?  The Contrast of Mary and Martha: (Luke 10:38-42) Jesus enters the house of Mary and Martha Martha was “cumbered about much serving”(cumbered – distressed, distracted, burdened, troubled) while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and heard His Word. Martha asked Jesus if He cared that Mary left her to serve all alone and said “bid her therefore that she help me.” (bid-to speak, call, or to invite) Luke 10:41-42 41And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.   (Some things we need to consider regarding making our days count for Christ; The Shortness of Days, The Significance of Decisions) The Symbols of Devotion Bible Characters who made it count: (not men we are glorifying, but men who glorified Christ!) Apostle Paul: Saul of tarsus: named changed to Paul at His conversion. A Chosen Apostle of Jesus Christ. The apostle to the Gentiles! Missionary and Church builder Wrote 14 of the 27 books of the N.T. Three major Missionary journeys 2 Timothy 4:6-7 6For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: John the Baptist: The Forerunner of Jesus Christ (Forerunner - one who precedes a messenger, sent in advance.) Obedient and submissive to the Lord and His Will O.T. Prophet on the pages of the N.T. Friend of the Bridegroom “rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.” It wasn’t about John, it was about Christ John 3:30 30He must increase, but I must decrease. The very man people confused with Christ because of His Testimony Apostle John: “The Disciple whom Jesus loved” It is said that John only had about a 600 word vocabulary, yet God used Him to write 5 books of the Bible Gospel of John reaches back into eternity than any other book, the book of Revelation reaches into eternity more than any other book. King David: A man after God’s own heart Samuel – the circuit riding preacher Peter at Pentecost Job and his integrity Abraham and His Faith Joseph and His Purity Ruth and her lineage Caleb and Joshua and their Courage     Question: Why Jacob? Of all these great examples of men and women who made their lives really count for God, why is our main text dealing with Jacob? Not only is Jacob right up there with people who’s life counted for God, Jacob is a type of the Believers two natures “The man of two natures”  In the Bible, (a lot in Genesis) you have different “types” Type – “A divinely appointed illustration of some scriptural truth.” “A type must never be used to teach a doctrine, but only to illustrate a doctrine elsewhere explicitly taught.” – Dr. J. Edwin Hartill John 3:14 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: Serpent = the sin of the people. They needed to look to it for healing.  Christ was made sin for us on the cross of Calvary. HE bore our sins. As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” – A divinely appointed illustration Jacob is a type of the Believer and our two natures.  “Jacob is an outstanding illustration of the presence and conflict of the natures within a believer. Similar to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of Robert Louis Stevenson’s story, Jacob is good and bad; he rises and falls, yet in spite of his failures was a chosen instrument.” Dr. Herbert Lockyer In order for Jacob to make his life count, he had to totally yield to God.     What about you, are you making your life count for Christ? Discussion: “Make it Count” Genesis 32:22-30 Three things we will need if we want to make our life count: A Place of Salvation: Gen 28:10-22 Bethel – House of God Jacob flee’s his home in fear of his life because of his brother, Esau. He leaves Beersheba to go to Haran and on the way he stops for some rest (roughly 40 miles in one day) He lays down to go to sleep (stone for a pillow) and dreams a dream: Genesis 28:12-15 12And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” The Lord Jesus is the ladder. The angels are ascending and descending upon Him, they were ministers to Him who are subject to His command. He confirms the Abrahamic covenant to Jacob and tells Him, “I will not leave thee.”  Genesis 28:18-19 18And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 19And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. This is the place of Jacob’s Salvation.  (OT Prophet, looking to the Cross) Before we can do anything to make our lives count, there has to be a place of Salvation. We must come to God’s terms of Salvation (Jesus Christ) The sin problem must be taken care of! (Adams failure, mankinds total depravity) A Period of Seclusion v.24 Seclusion: the state of being private and away from other people: If we want our lives to count for God, there has to be a period of seclusion with Him.  Proverbs 18:1 - Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh [and] intermeddleth with all wisdom. “There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech. We should be better Christians if we were more alone, waiting upon God.”  – C.H. Spurgeon   “Friend, have you ever tried being alone? That is where God will meet with you. Take the Word of God and go off alone with Him. It will do you a lot of good.”   -Dr. J. Vernon McGee   People are afraid of silence - Recent studies “show that the constant accessibility and exposure to background media has created a mass of people who fear silence.” (background noise, music, tv on, always distracted and busy with a lot of noise – cannot even sleep in silence)  Jacob had enemies and distractions all around him (example of how there is enough going on to keep us distracted/busy until the day we die!) 1 Kings 19:12  “And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”   A Position of Surrender v.26 If we are going to live a life that counts for Jesus Christ, we have to surrender to Him! We need to surrender to God on a daily basis (Paul – I die daily) Jacob has; The World behind him – Laban The Flesh ahead of him – Esau God right in front of Him (give me what I need!) Jacob would not let go until God blessed Him. We should hold on to God as tight as we can and on a daily basis surrender to Him. “Lord, I will not let you go, I need you to give me what I need for today!”  Jacob had a lot of un-necessary trouble that was a result from him not surrendering to God (go down list and give exampls of how it is critical in a Christians life to submit) His place of surrender was not to be let go, but to hold on! (Jacob made a mess) Took his brother’s birthright  Took his brother’s blessing  Flee’s to Laban his uncle (Bethel experience) Deceived into marrying Leah (worked 7 for Rachel, got Leah and then additional 7 for Rachel) Wages were changed 10 times Increased his livestock, becomes wealthy Sneaks off with his wives, children, livestock. His wife Rachel steals one of her father’s false gods. He is fearing for his life because he believes Esau to still be after him. In order for Jacob to make his life count, he needed to Surrender to the Lord. Conclusion:  Want to make your life count? There needs to be: A Place of Salvation A Period of Seclusion  A Position of Surrender  Solomon was away from God in Ecclesiastes he tried just about everything under the sun to satisfy himself and he came to the conclusion Eccl 12:13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.

Outline: When We Do Things Our Way;   There is Division: V.1-5 The Selfishness of Isaac Isaac was no doubt a great man in the Bible. However, we see a weakness of his, Esau.  “Esau” red, earthy, only interested in the things of man. He’s a type of the flesh.  Our weakness is the flesh (illustration) We know what God has said, we know what’s in His Word, but because of our flesh, we do things our way. (illustration of Churches)   There is Deceit: V. 6-33 The Subtilty of Rebekah and Jacob Subtil – “deceitful, crafty, cunning with guile” The Home of Isaac, the son of Abraham, where the Father of the nation of Israel lives, is a home full of deceit and lies. Just because something is God’s will doesn’t give us the right to go about it the wrong way. Illustration of justifying sin (Saul, Sampson, Jacob) Lot fled from Sodom and Gomorrah, after he lived there, after his family was lost, and after he made a mess of things. Sampson destroyed many of the Philistines, after he led a rebellious life, after he chased after strange women, after he told his heart, after he lost all his strength, after he was made a fool of after being disobedient to God. Saul made sacrifices to God. After he blatantly disobeyed Him, after He tried justifying his wrong actions. Jacob became the Father of the nation of Israel, after he lied to his father on his death bed. God’s way is perfect, just, pure, righteous. If we do things our way, sooner or later we will be deceitful. (self-justification, pride, mockery, self-righteousness) Not only do we deceive others, we deceive ourselves. (Think of Isaac, his walk with God, his marriage, his children) Illustration of how people trick themselves into thinking they are right because they are so dead set on doing tings their way.People today who will amen this message will get up and leave with bitterness, lust, and self fulfillment.   There is Danger: V. 34-46 The Struggle of Esau and Jacob Isaac has made his choice, and it wasn’t God’s choice. On his deathbed he was lied to by his son and wife. Rebekah, made her choice. Even though it was God’s choice, she did it her way and she lied to the very man she loved before she even knew. (illustration of the Church) THOU HAS LEFT THY FIRST LOVED. She loses one son to anger and the other son to deceit. She did what God said He was going to do all along, but she did it her way, and what did she lose >>>> (She lost her family.) Esau – only cared about himself, hatred in heart Jacob – liar, cunning   There is a house divided, broken hearts, a broken home all because they did it their way.   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.

Title: “When We Do It Our Way” Text: Gen 25:23; Gen 27 Theme: What happens when we do things our way   Introduction:  Who?  Isaac and Rebekah What?  Jacob and Esau When? 2006 BC People Isaac promised by God to inherit the blessing of his father (miracle baby) Well-digger “laughter” Type of Jesus Christ Miraculous birth Offered as a sacrifice Given a bride by the Father Loved by His Bride Inherited His Father’s Wealth Rebekah  Isaac’s wife, the mother of Jacob & Esau A type of the Church (she was told about Isaac by His father’s servant, loved Him before she met him, and trusted he was who his servant said he was. She was wiling to leave it all behind to go follow him) Jacob   Younger son heel catcher, deceitful, clever Inherited Isaac’s blessing and became the Father of the 12 tribes of Israel Mama’s boy, he did what his mommy told him to do, very deceitful and clever Esau Eldest son Not interested in God, only in earthly things Edomites red, earthy – was a man’s man. He was Isaac’s favorite. (All-American Boy) he was very physical, athletic Plan– Gen 25:21-26 God has made it very clear what will happen, and spoiler alert, it does happen. He is very specific, He is very to the point. This is not a riddle, this is not a vision or a beautiful poem that can be interpreted by a Mother to mean what her heart desires it to mean. Verse 23 starts out with “And the Lord said unto her” and it ends with “the elder shall serve the younger.” When they were born, Esau came out first, he’s the oldest, Jacob came out next, he had his hand attached to his heel. This was pre-ordained. God knew Esau’s descendants would be enemies of Israel. He knew Jacob would be in the very lineage of Jesus Christ.   Problems Gen 25:27,28 (Favoritism in the home) Took his brother’s birthright – Gen 25:27-34 Birthright – one who had it was the head of the home, who also would be the line to Christ (the priest of the family) Jacob had a hold of Esau’s heel when they were born, he was constantly trying to get that position of the older brother Esau could care less about the birthright, he didn’t care about being the spiritual leader of the home. He was red “earthy” he represents the flesh. He acted as if he was going to starve to death – this isn’t true. A boy out of the house of Abraham is not going to starve to death! He wanted it right then and there. God had already promised Rebekah that Esau would serve Jacob (“the elder shall serve the younger”) Instead of waiting on God, he does it his way, tricky deceitful way. Took his brother’s blessing – Gen 27 Isaac requested that Esau would go make him some venison so he could bless him. The blessing that Isaac received had to be passed on, so he wanted to pass it down to Esau. Instead, he passed it on to Jacob…dressed like Esau. (Rebekah dressed Jacob up like Esau and they tricked Isaac) Isaac was troubled, and Esau was in a rage. He hated his brother and was going to kill him. Rebekah has Jacob to go flee to her brother Laban in Haran “few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away” this turned into a 20 year Journey! Rebekah would never see her son again.   “My Way” was a song written in 1969 by Paul Anka, and composed and co-written by Jacques Revaux. It was written for and sung originally by Frank Sinatra. It was also sung by other popular artist such as Elvis Presley and Sid Vicious (Sex Pistols). The song is played a lot during funerals in the UK. The song is nothing more than a swan song and a summary of a man who lived his life “his way”.  After a life of decisions, regrets, and various outcomes, the song closes with “Yes, it was my way.” The song is blatantly selfish and focuses on one thing and one thing only, doing things our way. Pleasing the flesh, putting ourselves above others, making hard decisions based on what we want, facing the music and having regrets because we have to be first. In this story, we have 4 individuals who sang the same song. At the end of Chapter 27, a chapter of lies, betrayal, greed, selfishness, and a broken family, Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob could all simply say “Yes, it was my way.”   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.  

Text:  Genesis 24:61-67 Context: Genesis 24 (Groom, Bride, Wedding) Title:  Here Comes the Bride Theme: The Bride of Jesus Christ Key Verse:  v.65   Type – “A divinely appointed illustration of some scriptural truth.” Derived from Greek word “tupos” – impression, stamp, pattern, or form “A type must never be used to teach a doctrine, but only to illustrate a doctrine elsewhere explicitly taught.” – Dr. J. Edwin Hartill John 3:14 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: Serpent = the sin of the people. They needed to look to it for healing.  Christ was made sin for us on the cross of Calvary. HE bore our sins. As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” – A divinely appointed illustration 1 Corinthians 5:7 7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:   Leaven – “evil” You have to stop the leavening process or the bread just keeps rising higher and higher “PURGED”  O.T. Days after the feast of the Passover they would have the feast of unleavened bread. So Paul is saying here, that Christ is our Passover, and that we should purge the leaven and be a new lump.  A divinely appointed illustration ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First, let’s go to the interpretation, and then we will focus on the Type presented to us in this scripture Introduction:  Who?   Abraham’s Servant  What?  To Find Isaac his Bride Where?   Haran in Mesopotania When?  2026 BC Why?  Commanded of Abraham to go find his son a wife   How?  Let’s look at the cast of Characters for this story; (literal interpretation) The Father (Abraham)  “Abraham was old, and well stricken with age” (Gen 24:1) He was about 140 years old Women in Canaan were idolatrous and wicked, so he turned his attention to Haran where he had once been, and his brother Nahor had established a family. Note: the way had been paved for Abraham to now send his servant to find his son a bride.   The Faithful (Unnamed Servant) It is rather obvious that the servant here is a man named Eliezer Genesis 24:2 2And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: Genesis 15:2 2And Abram said, LORD GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? However, in this story he is unnamed, you will see why later on in the message. He traveled a great journey that was well planned and thought out He would stand by a well and would ask for a drink, the woman who would give him water and then also draw water for his camels also, would be the woman for Isaac. (This was a hard test, 10 camels, 5 gallons each) Rebekah passed this test with flying colors -v. 12-20 The servant gives Rebekah earrings and bracelts and when he learns of who she is begins worshipping and praising God. The Servant tells Rebekah who he is and she runs home to tell her Mother The Flesh (Laban) – v.29-33 Rebekah’s brother Laban was very interested in one thing – riches When he saw the gifts the Servant had given Rebekah, he went out to meet him He was also given gifts, but would later try and hinder the Servants work seeing that he was interested in pleasing his flesh by asking 10 more days with Rebekah (grieving, quenching his work)   The Follower (Rebekah) From the moment Rebekah met the Servant she was interested in the man he spoke After they had met, he was invited in the home and told Rebekah’s family his mission and his encounter with Rebekah NOTE: Everything that happened was very natural, and nothing was done by force. There was nothing mystical, magical, or mysterious. Abraham’s servant spoke of Abraham’s Son and Rebekah was willing to be the Bride– v.58 “I will go”   The Forbearer (Isaac) Isaac waited for his father’s servant to do his work. His work was already done The servant is taking Rebekah home to her Groom when she see’s him afar off – v.62-65 Note: Isaac’s work was finished, the Servant was the one who called the Bride not him. He waited patiently to meet his Bride. Rebekah see’s him afar off. Before she meets him she covers herself with a vail.   In this story, we have a Divinely Appointed Illustration of Jesus Christ and His Bride (The Church)   Outline: (Divine Illustration)   The Father – Abraham is a type of God the Father Abraham sending his servant to fetch a bride for his son, after the way had been paved is a Divine Illustration of God the Father.   “It was thus, in a past eternity, that the eternal God took counsel with Himself in regard to His Son. He would have a bride for His Son, one fit for Him, one capable of sharing the lofty position that was Him. He would send the Holy Spirit into the world to find that Bride – but not until Calvary had paved the way.” Dr. John Phillips, Exploring Genesis “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:  according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before hi in love.” – Eph 1:3-4   The Faithful – Unnamed Servant is a type of The Holy Spirit The Servant was unnamed, he went on doing the will of Abraham with Isaac in mind. This is a Divine illustration of the Holy Spirit! Unnamed man is a type of the Holy Spirit in scripture The Holy Spirit does not draw attention to himself (unnamed) The Holy Spirit draws attention to the Son He is seeking out for Christ His Bride Note: His message to Rebekah was simple and to the point and constantly pointed to Isaac with Abraham’s will in mind. At one moment, she had no idea who Isaac was, but after a simple message from his servant, she was hooked. Rebekah’s family wanted to hold her back and let her wait – v.56 “Hinder me not”   The Flesh - Laban (The Worldly Sinner) When the servant came he was focused on the riches This is a divine illustration of the World – (2 Tim 4:3,4)  (pleasure) his heart was focused on the riches not the message (religion)The world tries religion, but they want it in a way that is pleasing to them and convenient. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” – Mark 8:36    The Follower - Rebekah (The Bride, The Church) “There was something about the story of Isaac that kindled a response in her heart. She had never seen him, had come to know him  indeed solely by the Word of the servant, but already felt that she knew him. Already gave him her heart.”  Dr. John Phillips, Exploring Genesis How intently the sinner under conviction of the Holy Spirit listens to the message of God. How much faith the sinner shows when making the decision to walk by Faith and accept the message of God The more Rebekah heard, the more real Isaac became. When she saw him, she covered herself with a vail. As Rebekah was clothed with the vail, we are clothed with the Righteousness of Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8-11   The Forbearer - Isaac (The Precious Son of God)  Isaac was a well digger, he was at Moriah and his work was done. He was now waiting for his bride. Calvary is done, Jesus Christ said “It is Finished!”  He’s in communion with the Father and He waits. “For Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” “Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, ‘I WILL GO!’”     Conclusion: The Father – Abraham is a type of God the Father The Faithful – Unnamed Servant is a type of The Holy Spirit The Flesh - Laban (The Worldly Sinner) The Follower - Rebekah (The Bride, The Church) The Forbearer - Isaac (The Precious Son of God)  We have the Wedding party, now let’s have a wedding. (read Genesis 24:67)   Revelation 19:7-10 The Table is set The Father is the host The Son is the Groom The guest “The friends of the Bridegroom” and also called “Daughters of Jerusalem” these are the Old Testament Saints. John the Baptist called himself a friend of the Bridegroom, Jesus said in Matthew 11:11 “among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist” this very well makes him the best man. And then, in a fine linen, clean and white “Here Comes the Bride” for the fine linen is the righteousness of Saints The Honeymoon is ready – The King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s will take His Bride and we will go with Him as He destroys His enemies, binds up satan, and sets up His Kingdom.   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.  

Outline:  There was Laughter with His Coming: This speaks of Christ and our Response Abraham’s Response:  Genesis 17:17 KJV: Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall [a child] be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? This was a laugh of pure joy! (illustration of when a believer finds out about Jesus Christ and how He came, and what He did) Luke 1:41 41And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: God had made a promise to Abraham, I’m sure there were times he doubted, but this was a birth that was a true miracle. Only God could have done this. His laugh was of joy and appreciation, I believe. Sarah’s Response: Gen 18:12-14 Genesis 18:12-14 12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my LORD being old also? 13And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Sarah’s laughter = Cynical (skeptical) Our Response to Christ:  The two responses of Isaac’s miraculous birth (one of joy, one of skepticism) is an illustration of how people react of Christ. There was Loyalty with His Command: This speaks of Christ and our Responsibility: Genesis 22 Isaacs obedience to his Father as a type of Christ Genesis 22:7-8 7And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.   Christ obedience to the cross 2 Corinthians 8:9 9For ye know the grace of our LORD Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. Philippians 2:8 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Our responsibility to accept Christ sacrifice There was Love with His Companion: This speaks of Christ and our Redemption: Genesis 24 “There was something about the story of Isaac that kindled a response in her heart. She had never seen him, had come to know him  indeed solely by the Word of the servant, but already felt that she knew him. Already gave him her heart.”  - Dr. John Phillips, Exploring Genesis How intently the sinner under conviction of the Holy Spirit listens to the message of God. How much faith the sinner shows when making the decision to walk by Faith and accept the message of God The more Rebekah heard, the more real Isaac became. When she saw him, she covered herself with a vail. As Rebekah was clothed with the vail, we are clothed with the Righteousness of Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8-11 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our LORD Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.

Title: “The Poor Spiritual Condition of Lot” Text:  Gen 13:10-13, Gen 19:1-8 Theme:   Lot’s backslidden condition Key Verse: Gen 13:10-13  Read Title:  Introduction:  Who?   Lot What?  His Spiritual Condition Where?   Sodom and Gomorrah When 2,067 B.C. Why?  Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom – v.12,13 Sodom was destroyed by God due to it’s wickedness Sodom is a symbol of wickedness and used as a warning that God judges sin  Deuteronomy 29:23 King James Version (KJV) 23 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath: Geneses 18:30-33 How?  Sodomy – term is referring to OT prostitution and homosexual moral perversion practiced with idolatry.  This was the sin in Sodom, and is used to describe homosexuality in general. Websters dictionary defined it as “a crime against nature” Moral perversion of Sodom. “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” – Jude 7 •How much? A. Reputation of Lot Lot is mentioned by name 29 times in the Genesis record   1. In the context of Abraham’s family six times.   2. Once in the context of strife.   3. Three times in the context of choosing the best land according to its appearance, and his separation from Abram   4. Once in the context of separation from Abram alone.   5. Once when he was captured by evil kings.   6. Once when he was rescued by Abram.   7. Once when he was doing business at the gate of Sodom.   8. Twice when he was targeted as a victim by the men of Sodom.   9. Once when he was protecting his angelic visitors, and five times when the angels were protecting him.   10.Once when he seems as one mocking to his family.   11.Once when he was pleading for Zoar to be spared.   12.And once when he is mentioned in the context of incest.   B. Righteousness of Lot- 2 Peter 2:7,8   C. Results of Lot - He chose to live in a wicked city that was destroyed by God. Due to his love for the world, Lot lost his family.   Outline:    Lot's poor spiritual condition was based on; I. His Direction - Gen 13:10-13     A. his lusting - v.10 chose the best land according to it's apperance illustartion of liking what the world has to offer (be careful, if we want what the world has, we might get it)     B. his leaning  - v.11,12 Illustration of your heart being in the wrong place No man falls suddenly, it always takes place over time. He was headed in the wrong direction about to make the biggest mistake of his life "in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths"   II. His Decision - Gen 19:     A. his location -Gen 13:13,19:1-8 the majority of the time Lot is mentioned it is when he is in the midst of self induced problems. Ilustration of poor locations taht were self inflicting: The prodigle son, Sampson = self inflicted     B. his lingering  - Gen 19: 12-16 Illustration : People God has declared righteous, know this world, what it's about and where it's going, but still find pleasure and God has to send someone to drag us out   Sodom is used as a symbol of wickedness and a warning to sinners that God judges sin   III. His Destruction - Gen 19:17-26     A. his livelihood - v.26 all of his hard work, his home     B. his loved ones   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.    

Abraham’s Choice: Genesis 13 Key verses: Gen 13:1-4 Genesis 13:1-4 1And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; 4Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. Recap: Who: Abraham (Abram) What: His return to the land of promise Where: Where he pitched his tent and built and altar between Bethel and Hai When: 2085 BC Why: He relied on his flesh and left for Egypt during a famine, now he’s coming back to the Father. How: He now comes back with two things he didn’t have before that we need to note. 1.) Riches; 2.) Hagar     Abram’s Return v. 1-4  In the previous chapter, we see Abram continue south after pitching his tent and building an altar and then leaving for Egypt when a famine came. This was not God’s Will for Him but he was backslidden. He goes to Egypt only to live in sin (lying and deceit) and hurt his testimony. Now he is going to return.   v.3,4 – He returned to the place where he had built the altar and pitched his tent. He goes back to the place where he last had fellowship with God.    In the book of 1 Corinthians, Paul writes with the theme of “order in the Church” while addressing Division and contentions which arose in Corinth. Remember, Paul is writing to believers. (church is the body of Christ). There are three types of people (natural, spiritual, and carnal). The remedy for these carnal Christians is the Lordship of Jesus Christ.   1 Corinthians 1:9 9God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our LORD.    Notice what the Prodigal son does in Luke 15 Luke 15:17-19 17And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.   He goes back to the place he was before he left. Friend, are you backslidden? Do you know what you need to do? (I need to get back in Church, I need to quit this, that, or stop doing this) No, you need to go back exactly where you were before you were backslidden, the place of surrender. The place where Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior.   There is always a way back to the altar, the place of Surrender.    1 John 1:9 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (interlude) v. 5-7 Abram and Lot returned wealthy men. The land was not big enough to contain them and there was a strife between their herdsmen. We are going to see as this story progresses that there are now repercussions from Abram’s backsliding. The first time Abram comes to this land there was no fighting mentioned. Now, that they have left Egypt and returned very wealthy, they cannot get along. Abram left Egypt; he has returned to this land to get back in fellowship with God. But what about Lot? Obviously, Lot left Egypt with Abram, but is he going to restore his fellowship with God also? Let’s look and find out:   Abram’s Re-focus v. 8-14 v.8,9 – Abram realized he was the cause of all this. He is now going to let Lot choose. v.10 – There is no mention of Lot having an altar like Abraham. He chooses Sodom for personal reasons. Abram left Egypt completely, not just the land but he left the rebellious nature. He left his backsliding when he came back to the altar to restore fellowship. Lot did not. 2 Peter 2:6-8 6And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 7And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)   Lot was a Righteous man. By faith, he left with Abram. Genesis 12:1-4 1Now 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: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. Hebrews 11:8 8By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. Lot initially left the land of sin, put his faith in God and followed after Abram. Only problem, when they left for Egypt backslidden, Abram returned to the altar, Lot will now leave for another like Egypt. Notice v.10 Genesis 13:10 10And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. The land that made him rich and wealthy. The land they left because there was a famine. There is a contrast between two Righteous men here, one that is consecrated (Abram) and one that is not (Lot).    v.14 – Now, Abram can re-focus on obeying God. Notice something, Lot lifted up his eyed. The backslidden Christian lifts their eyes. They open their own doors, they do what they want. God tells Abram “Lift up now thine eyes” There is a difference here. Lot lifts up his own eyes, God tells Abram to lift up his eyes. There is a re-focus with Abram. (illustration of letting God open and close doors.)   Abram’s Response v. 15-18 “Abram’s moves were ordered by the Lord and he moved on in obedience to the known and revealed will of God for his life – a truly spiritual man.” – John Philips    Luke 12:16-22 16And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 22And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.   Jesus called this man a fool. What do we know of this man just from outward appearance? He was a good man, neighbor, a law-abiding citizen, family man, the list goes on…except Jesus called him a fool. Why? He was a covetous man. He lived for himself. “Eat drink and be merry.” Here is a man who lived for himself. He laid up treasure for himself. He had his eyes on himself. Lot lifted up his eyes and saw Sodom. Abram returned to the altar physically, but also spiritually. He waited on God and when God spoke he obeyed.   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.

Genesis 12:1-3 1Now 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: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Trust 2: 1-9 Here is a man who leaves the seen for the unseen. He literally steps out by Faith on the Word of God. He didn’t even know exactly where he was going, but he knew of the promise God gave him when he got there.  God calls to Abram and he responds by leaving it all behind. He leaves Ur, a prosperous city of wealth and luxury for Canaan, a barbarous land of heathens. He steps out on by faith, putting his trust in the Lord.  Notice something; in verse 7 God appears to Abram again. In order for God to appear to Abram the second time, Abram had to respond and OBEY God.  God tells Abraham in verse 7 “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” Here is a man who acted on faith, continued to put His trust and God and patiently waited for the Lord by continuing to move in the direction God had called Him. Prov 3:5b “lean not unto thine own understanding” I’m sure Abram’s own understanding of this land was not positive, but he trusted God and when he heard the voice of God he pitched his tent and built an altar.   Hebrews 11:8 8By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.   A 400-mile journey, not even knowing the exact destination. Do you trust in God? I mean do you really Trust in God?   Trust (Hebrew Word) 2. to have confidence, be confident 3. to be bold 4. to be secure   There are a many of Christians today who say they trust God, but base their decisions on statistics, finances, stock market, housing market, professional opinions. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” and you can tell after talking to them for a while they put their trust and make their decisions in earthly things. Now, a person who truly Trust in God can be misunderstood, even by the Church. They may ask “why do you continue to work where you work? Why don’t go here, or go there? Why don’t you move? Why don’t have more of this or less of that?” (illustration of the system and rushing God’s plan)  God does not work on our time ( makes us wait, He tests us and puts us through trials) The question is what does God want you to do? Where is He leading you. Oh do you trust Him, friend?   Trials: 12:10-20 Genesis 12:9 9And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. Genesis 12:10 10And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. Notice something, God does not tell Abram to do this! “Lean not unto thine own understanding”. Here is where Abram leans on his own understanding and backslides. Abram steps out by Faith, put’s his trust in God, God confirms he is where he should be, he builds an altar and then what happens? He keeps going. Bethel= house of God, Hai = a heap of ruin. Abram found the house of God but for whatever reason kept going to a heap of ruin and boy is that what resulted. A famine hits, so Abram goes down to Egypt and notice what comes next. Genesis 12:11-13 11And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. Here is the Father of a nation, relying on his flesh and now using trickery and deceit as a strategy to get out of trouble. Even though Sarai was his half sister, she was still his wife. There is no such thing as a half lie. Abram lied to keep his family safe. Was this of God? Absolutely not. Genesis 12:17-20 17And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. 18And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had. What did God originally say to Abram when He called him? Genesis 12:2 “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:” God did not call Abram out of Ur (sin) and set him apart to have him go in his own direction. He did not call him to go plague the house of Pharaoh. God called Abram to a blessing. Child of God, God did not call you to be a homewrecker. God did not call you to sew discord in his house. God did not call you to be a stumbling block to others. This is what happens when we lean on our own understanding. This is what happens when we backslide and get out of God’s Will. We wander from place to place and cause trouble wherever we go.   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.

Outline: When Job was looking back I. Saw Gloom - 14:1 "The Sinful Days"  Gloom - darkness Illustration of why Jesus had to come John 1:1 Job 1:5  And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.  Job 22:15  Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?  Job 22:16  Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflow The days of Job were between Noah(flood) and Moses(law) in the land of Uz was a man named Job. He lived in a dark gloomy day like us. Job 1:8  And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?    II. Saw Goodness - Job 1:8 "Serving Days" Not the conviction of a sinner, but the consecration of a saint God says if we serve Him He will hold us up. Psa 37:23  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.  Psa 37:24  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.  Job was upright and honest and God was faithful   III. Saw Grief 1:9-22, 2:7 "Sad Days" Job saw some sad days Illustration nobody wants to compare to Job, but we all see grieving days. - Job's Finiancial problems (lost his wealth) - Job's Family problem's (lost family) his wife - Job's Health Problem's (boil's from the top to the bottom)   IV. Saw Grudging 2:9 "Seperating Days" Somebody who was to comfort him but was holding a grudge to God and was separated   V. Saw Gloating 16:10 "Selfish Days" This is why you never take text out of context - Job's three friends were often wrong and even later rebuked in 42:7 His fickle friends - Chapter 4-37 Bildad - based his advise on tradition - supposed Job was a sinner Eliphad - based his advise on personal experience Suggested Job was a sinner Zohar - based his advise on pure dogmatism - Told Job he was a sinner Elihu - based his advise on youth alone Illustration of people who say distress or despair is caused by sin Job 16:2  I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.    VI. Saw God Job 42:5,6 "Shameful days" Abhor - disguisted with himself Stood before an all knowing God and repented in dust and ashes Here is a man that just lost everything, and when he got his heart right with God he prayed for his friends.   God asks Job many questions -He is allowed to see the Glory of God -He sees himself as God see's Him -He is vindcated by God before his friends -He discovers the joy of praying for his 3 friends -His health is restored -He is conforted by brothers and sisters -His former wealth is doubled -7 more sons and 3 more daughters     VII. Saw Grace 42:17 "The Sum of all days" Illustration of Grace   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.

One of the most ancient books in the Bible -The flood is mentioned in 22:16, but there is no mention of the law, the Exodus, the Red Sea crossing, or any of the Kings of ISrael. Also, Job does not go to the temple for his sacrifices but makes his own. Historical character - Job was mentioned later by Ezekial and the Apostle James Land of Uz (possibly was located northeast of the Sea of Galilee running toward the Euphrates river)   Job was a Godly man - v.1,8 upright, one that escheweth evil  eschew- deliberatly avoid, abstain from Job was a blessed man - v.2,3 10 children, 7 seven sons and 3 daughters Over 11,000 animals - great household. "greatest men in the east"   Introduction: Job 42:17  So Job died, being old and full of days.  Died being old and full of days, saw children and childrens children Maybe God will allow us to live out our life like this "Full of days" Job was in his right mind Remembered a lot of things (told his grandchildren about what he saw)   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.

Their Supplies - Man’s Mortar: Genesis 11:1-3 “Let us make brick and burn them thoroughly” Man built with brick, but God builds with stone. 1 Peter 2:4-8 4To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.  Mankind has been able to accomplish many things, but they cannot build a lasting kingdom. This will all pass away. Matthew 6:19 King James Version (KJV) 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: “The Nasty now and now” illustration of where men’s heart are today even in the Church. Man’s supplies don’t last – Let God build it! (Home, Marriage, ministry, etc.)   Their Strategy – Man’s Method: Genesis 11:4a (Their own occult, religion) “The narrative tells of the method those first world federalist used to achieve their goal. They were to have a political unity, symbolized by the city, and they were to have a religious unity, symbolized by the tower. The expression “whose top may reach unto heaven” contains an ellipsis. The idea was not to build a tower so tall it would reach to heaven, but to build a tower topped by the heavens, that is, by the sigs of the zodiac. Astronomical and astrological data were to be associated with that tower. God was not in their thoughts at all. Stargazing and occultism were to be the features of their religious system.” Dr. John Phillips Remember, tis is a type of the final Babylon in the end times. The antichrist will make use of false religion and set himself up as God. He will also have a world political system and economy.  Occult – witchcraft,satanism. Man is up to no good here. Know something about satanism, satanism is not worshipping satan, it is man worshipping themselves. Isaiah 14:14 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. What did Samuel tell Saul when he rebelled from God and refused to utterly destroy the Amalekites? 1 Samuel 15:23 23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. Do you know what man’s biggest problem with the Bible is? God’s Authority. Man wanted to be united with their own religion and formed an occult. Be aware of this friend. If it’s not God’s way, it’s not of God! IF you are following  religion that rejects Jesus Christ as Lord – get out of that!   Their Source – Man’s Motive: Genesis 11:4b “Let us make a name lest we be scattered abroad the face of the earth” In defiance of God’s Will – let’s glorify humanity and unify one another. Do we not do this today? Friend, watch out for these people who want to unify the world in “peace and love”. The only way to unify the World through Peace and Love is through the Lord Jesus Christ.  (illustration of current affairs with USA – wanting things to go the way of their political party. “One nation under God” )   Their Shortcoming – Man’s Mistake: Genesis 11:5-9 Genesis 11:5 5And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. Revelation 19:11-15 11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. They took God out of the picture and thought the had rid themselves of Him. A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.

Title: “Red and Yellow Black and White…” Text:  Genesis 8-10 Theme: God’s Love and Grace for the World Introduction:  Genesis 8-10; two key events take place in these chapters. One – God gives us the rainbow to symbolize his covenant with Noah to never again destroy the world with Water. The second is the repopulating of the world and the future Global outreach of the Gospel available to all man regardless of race or nationality. Both major events are two key examples of God’s love and Grace. You are listening to Preach the Word with Dean Carmichael, Jr. Who? Mankind:  Up to this point we saw two major lines populate the earth; Cain’s Line (Seed of the Serpent) Started out with false religion of rejecting God’s way of Salvation by believing we can work our way to God (Cain) After living a life of wandering he (Cain) knew his wife and built a city Through Cain’s line we see an advancement in agriculture, science, technology and entertainment but stayed separate from God due to sin not being dealt with.  Seth’s Line through Adam (Seed of Christ) Genesis 4:25,26 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord. Man’s rebellion and destruction: Genesis 6:2 2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. Genesis 6:5 5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. What? The Noahic Covenant: Genesis 9:9-17 Covenant = a promise/agreement (also called a testament). Noahic Covenant = God promised to never again destroy the earth with water or a flood and gives us His rainbow as a sign of the promise. When? Before 2,500 BC Why? To re-populate the Earth How? Noah’s Son’s How Much: Ham (Genesis 9:20-27; 10:6-20) - Hot/Dark, Burnt/Black,  Noah’s Youngest Son Descendants inhabit Egypt/Africa  Canaan- Phoenicians, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, hvites, etc. Cush- Africans (Ethiopians, Egyptians, Lybian’s,etc.) Nimrod-  a great hunter, a hunter of men's souls. He was the founder of the great cities in the land of Shimar. Founder of Babel, tower of babylon. Tried to become a great ruler. Ham’s Son Canaan was cursed (Not Ham and his generations) Genesis 9:20-25 20And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. 24And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. It is important to note: the curse is still on the earth. We still have a fallen Nature. The flood did not rid the earth from the cruse. Yes, Noah found Grace in the eyes of God. But notice, it is because of one Word, FAITH. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Hebrews 11:7 Yes, this is a new world, but the old sin is still there. Noah became drunk and was uncovered in his tent. Ham saw his fathers nakedness but Shem and Japheth covered him. Notice “cursed be Canaan” God did not curse Ham, the curse was placed upon his son, Canaan. There is a false statement going around that God cursed the black man. This has nothing to do with the color of a man’s skin. Ham is not cursed. Think of this, through Ham, two great nations would be born (Egyptian and Babylonian) To say that black man is cursed from these scriptures is a misinterpretation. Noah sinned, he got drunk and was exposed to his son, Ham. Because of this Canaan (Ham’s son) would be cursed  because of how his father handled his grandfathers sin. Not exactly sure what he did but we know God was not pleased with it.  God pronounced a curse upon Canaan (the race of Ham’s son) and if you read the OT and look at history the canaanites have disappeared.  Japheth - (increase, expansion) Noah’s Middle Son His Descendants go North/West and populate the European content Magog- Scythians, slavs, russians, bulgarians, poles, slovaks, croations  Medes-Indians, Iranic races Madai- Medes, Persians, Afgans, kurds Javan- greeks, romans, romance nationalities (french,spanish, prtuguese, italians, etc.) Tiras- Thracians, Teutons, Germans ( from that east germanic and european races- scandinavians,angles, saxons, jutes, anglo saxon race, the english people) Majority of America descended from these lines. “Most, if not all, of the notable world powers have sprung from Japheth, including the Assyrian, Medo-Persian, Greek, Roman, British, and American.” – Cloud The nations that take control after the fall of Babylon come from the line of Japheth and have been in control ever since.     Shem – (Renown) Genesis 9:26 26And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. Shem was a distinguished man. We read later that the men at Babel “sought to make themselves a name” Descendants form the nation Israel The genealogy of Jesus Christ passes through Shem Noah’s three sons would re-populate the earth. This is a very brief summary. There are a lot of ways we can go about this but we are going to focus on the Gospel. To summarize populations, Ham (Africa) Japheth (Europe) Ham (Asia).  Three Divisions of Mankind: Jew; Gentile; Church The Scriptures speak of three classes of people on the earth, the Jews, the Gentile, and the Church. The Church is made up of both Jew and Gentile. Outside of the Church all who are not Jews are Gentiles. Up to the call of Abraham all the people of the earth were Gentiles. Abraham was the first Hebrew. His grandson Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel (Gen 32:24-29), had twelve sons. They became the heads of twelve tribes, known as the "Twelve Tribes of Israel." After the death of King Solomon these "Tribes" were divided. Ten of them became known as Israel, and two (Judah and Benjamin) as Judah. In B.C. 721 Israel was carried captive to Assyria, and in B. C, 606 Judah was carried captive to Babylon.” Larkin, Clarence. The Jews, The Gentiles And The Church (Clarence Larkin Collection Book 9) . Kindle Edition. Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Boils down to two types of people – Saved and Lost (so many different ethnic groups, races, nations, religions) Theme of this study – Salvation is not man going to God. Salvation is not man walking with God. Salvation is God coming to man. It is God’s desire, that fallen man, regardless of where they were populated (nation, race) if they are Jew or Gentile, come to Repentance (change of Mind) and put Faith in Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:9 9The LORD is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.   (Old Testament) Shem (Asia) – Abraham came from this line, the God of the Hebrews, they had the scriptures (Monotheistic, Messianic Hope – Jonah example with pagan sailors) Syrian army (Shem) exposed to Elisha Genesis 14 with Abraham’s influence on the surrounding kings (when he rescued Lot and met Melchizedek was already the Priest of the most High God.) Ham (Africa) Joseph went to Egypt, Daniel captive in Babylon Japheth (Europe) Jonah went to Ninevah (Captial of Assyria)        (New Testament) Ethiopian Eunuch (Line of Ham) Acts 8:29-31 King James Version (KJV) 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? Peter and Cornielus (line of Japheth) Apostle Paul (line of Shem) “Whosever” in the Bible. We must come to the Scriptural truth that Salvation is God searching for man (the world) and is available to all and upon all that believe.   Galatians 4:4-5 King James Version (KJV) 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.   Outline:  There were many things going on in the world that prepared the way for Jesus to come; (3 groups) Political Contribution of the Romans - People full of idolatry, mystery religions, and emperor worship were used by God to carry out His Will. Developed Unity - environment that was receptive to the Gospel (political unity) Free Movement about the Mediterranean World would have been hard without Caesar (28 B.C. – A.D. 14) Ancient world was in small jealous units, cities, states or tribes hindered travel. Roman Empire Extension- Peace about the Mediterranean made it easier to spread the Gospel. Excellent System of Roads (Roman forum throughout entire empire) Paul used these roads The Roman Army – Rome wanted to educate outside unsophisticated provincials because of decline of Roman citizens. So, they would send soldiers out to educate them to take their ideas out to the ancient world. Some soldiers became converts of Christianity so when they went out to all these places, they spread the Gospel. Roman Conquest – led to a loss of belief in gods because their gods failed to give them victory. People were unsatisfied with religion. Romans and their social and political organization Rome was known for it’s law and order. Romans prepared the world (unknowingly) but in God’s providence.  Emphasis of law and order brought peace in the days Mary gave birth to Christ. System of Roads made it easy for travelers to come in and out of the Empire (Jonah) Degeneration in moral character and religion.  Mark – Presents Jesus as a worker, as the servant of God to the Heathen Romans and their decline of morals. “The Gospel of Action” Intellectual Contribution of the Greeks - Romans were the political conquerors of the Greeks, but the Greeks conquered culturally. Rome built roads, bridges, and fine buildings. However, under Greek influence the Roman Empire gave way to intelligent culture. Universal Gospel was in need of a universal language (English is the universal language in modern, Latin in medieval, Greek in Ancient. (How the Gospel was spread- what language was the N.T written in?) Greek philosophy destroyed older religions. However, it didn’t satisfy so they either became skeptics or turned to the mysterious Roman religions. The Teachings of Socrates and Plato taught this present world is a shadow of a world to come. It never led them to God but the Greeks also taught that they were concerned of man’s eternal future due to right and wrong. By the time Christ came there was a void in the hearts of men and they wanted more than just human reasoning. Christianity introduced a peace that passed all understanding through the forgiveness of sins in saving faith in Christ Jesus.  Greeks and their Language One language and One World! – Ambition of Alexander the Great Greek was the language of the World at that time. The N.T. was written in Greek. The Hebrew Old Testament was translated to Greek in 250-150 B.C. Luke – Presents Jesus Christ as the Son of Man to the intellectual Greeks. Jesus is presented as the ideal human being because the Greek’s were looking for the perfect man.   The Religious Contribution of the Jews- unlike the Greeks, the Jews did not use human reasoning, but assumed God’s existence through His revealing Himself to Abraham and other great leaders of the race. They were a small nation, but they occupied Palestine, the land bridge that linked Asia, Africa, and Europe. Their central location and captivity by Assyria, Babylonia, and Rome spread their religious ideas throughout the Mediterranean world.  Monotheism – Only one God (contradicted false religions) Messianic Hope – the hope of a coming Messiah Ethical System – High standard of the Ten Commandments Jewish Scriptures- Provided the Old Testament Philosophy of History – History had meaning(opposed any view that made history a meaningless cycle of evolution) Sovereign God who created all would triumph over sinful man. The Synagogue – The synagogue was the Preaching house of early Christianity. They enforced absence at the temple at Jerusalem during the Babylonian captivity and it gave rise to the synagogue. They would meet together outside of the temple and read scriptures. Hebrews and their Religion They had the scriptures. When Christ was born the message was already known. The Messiah wo would one day come was not a new concept. The Gospel of Matthew – Presents Jesus as the Messiah to the Hebrews and their Religion. A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.

This world wants an answer that they agree with to solve the problems that they have identified. Jesus Christ will go to the root of the issue. He will declare us Righteous before an almighty God.  His life demonstrated what He alone can give us: Temperance not tolerance; Forgiveness not acceptance; Joy not happiness The World wants to solve problems by creating other problems. Jesus Christ is the only one who can solve the problem (sin problem). He can give our Soul’s Rest and Safety.    Let’s look at the Haven of Rest (Jesus Christ) and how the Ark is a type of His Salvation   The Incarnation of Christ - Gal 4:4,5 (Gen 3:15)   Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” The ark was not man’s design, it was supernaturally revealed to man, built by man, but man did not design the Ark. This is a type of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. God, became man, to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. “The act of assuming flesh, or of taking a human body, and the nature of man. This is a term commonly used to describe Christ’s birth through the virgin Mary. God was incarnated in human form.” – David Cloud 1 Timothy 3:16 16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. “The redeemer of mankind, in order to substitute for man, must Himself be a man. While the Ark was God’s divine design, the Ark itself must be built by the sinner who was to be saved from the flood. The Savior must be both God and man. He must be man to atone for man’s sin; He must be God in order to bear the infinite penalty of man’s sin. Because He was a man, He could stand in man’s place. Because He was God, He could bear in a few hours the eternal, infinite judgment of God upon sin. The spiritually enlightened mind cannot fail to see in this shadow of the incarnation – the part that humanity was to play in preparing the Savior Jesus as the Ark of Safety.” M.R. DeHaan Let’s look at scripture; Galatians 4:4-5 King James Version (KJV) 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. King James Version (KJV) This is a fulfillment of -  Genesis 3:15 15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. God, became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus Christ is known as the last Adam. Why? Because the first Adam failed, and He (Jesus) came and did what Adam couldn’t do. You see, man cannot stand in the gap or make up the hedge. Cain tried that, and failed. So Jesus Christ came. God manifested in the flesh. The incarnate Christ, the creator of all the universe, became a man, born of a Virgin, lived a perfect ife, fulfilled the law and willfully gave His life to be the sacrifice for our sins.. God designed it all – but Noah had to build it!   The Invitation of Christ – Gen 7:1 Genesis 7:1 1And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. The first time the word “come” is used in the Bible. God was already present in the Ark before Noah got in – understand this. The presence of God guaranteed the Safety of the Ark. (Eternal security – we are indwelt with the Holy spirit of Christ. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. )  If the Ark would have sank it would have went down with God in it. This is impossible.    Matthew 8:25-27 25And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, LORD, save us: we perish. 26And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!   Christ is inviting you to Him   Matthew 11:28-29 28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.   Key Definitions Heavy Laden – loaded down; heavy; weighted (in this context, loaded down very heavily) Yoke – Harness that secures an animal to a cart or plough; beam where two animals were fastened to any purpose of labor” Meek – Mild of Temper, gentle, not easily provoked or irritated     The Instructions of Christ –    Genesis 7:15 15And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.   Matthew 28:18-20 18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.  

Title: The Days of Noah Text:  Genesis 6:1-8 Theme: The Times leading up to the Flood Key Verse: Matthew 24:37 37But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. What were the days of Noah like? How close are we to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?  All of this and more as we continue our study in the book of Genesis. Your listening to Preach the Word with Dean Carmichael Jr Introduction: Matthew 27:37-42 Who: Mankind What: The days of Noah Where: Earth When: Before the Flood, Before 2500 BC Why: Rebellion from God How: Matthew 27:37-42 Jesus is giving his disciples the Olivet Discourse (discourse (sermon) on the mount of Olives)  They ask him three questions after Jesus prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem When shall these things be (destruction of the temple)  What shall be the sign of thy coming? What shall be a sign of the end of the age? The first question is answered in Luke’s Gospel. He is referring to when the Romans would destroy the temple in A.D. 70.  (Luke 21:20-24) It is not mentioned in Matthew because the Gospel of Matthew is written presenting Jesus as the King “The Gospel of the Kingdom” When did the destruction of the temple happen? The Church Age. It has nothing to do with the Kingdom so it is not presented in Matthew. The next to questions are answered in chronological order. He will answer the first last and the last first. What shall be a sign of the end of the age? v.4-8 “The Church Age”  (go over this on my questions and answers podcast – is COVID 19 in the Bible?) This is not a specific event that was prophesied in the Bible. However, this is a Generic event that was prophesied in the Bible and falls under the same category as many other events in history. Notice of the things that come to pass there is "pestilences". Pestilence is defined as "a fatal epidemic".   This is not the first global pandemic. - 1918: Spanish Flu, 675,000 deaths in the U.S. - 1957 Asian Flu - 69,800 deaths in the U.S. - 1968: Hong Kong Flu, 33,800 deaths in the U.S. So yes, COVID-19 is in the Bible under "pestilences" but the specific event of COVID-19 is not something we should spiritualize and say that is must mean something else is about to happen.     v. 6 “but the end is not yet” false Christ, wars/rumors of wars, pestilences, famines- these are all events in the Church age. But notice “the end is not yet” Please note, before we can get into the Tribulation period a specific event has to happen, that is the Day of Christ, The Rapture of the Church. (1 Thessalonians 4 ; 1 Corinthians 15)   1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 16For the LORD himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the LORD in the air: and so shall we ever be with the LORD.   There is a type mentioned in the Book of Genesis for the Rapture of the Church which is found in the man Enoch   Jude 14-15 King James Version (KJV) 14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.   Hebrews 11:5 5By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.   We will soon discover that in Matthew 24 when Jesus mentions “the days of Noah” He is comparing them to the Tribulation period. Before the tribulation can happen, the Church must be Raptured out. In this story, Enoch is a type of the Church because he is “translated that he should not see death” and taken out of the World.   v. 9-22 “The Tribulation” v.9 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted” This is not the Church Read v. 13,14 “endure to the end” Tribulation Saints “Gospel of the Kingdom” We live in the Church age. We do not preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. What is the Kingdom of Heaven? The Kingdom of Heaven is the rule of the Heavens over the earth. A Theocracy. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ will return to rule and reign and He will do it with a Rod of Iron (Psalm 2, Revelation 2) The tribulation Saints will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom because the Kingdom of Heaven is soon coming. Jesus is soon returning.  We preach the Gospel of Grace because that is the era in which we live. Is it a different Gospel? No, just with a different emphasis. Jesus and John the Baptist preached the “Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” The Kingdom of Heaven was at hand in the presence of the King. The Gospel of the Kingdom will again be preached in the Tribulation because the King will soon be coming again.     What shall be the sign of thy coming? v. 23-51 The Second Coming v. 37-42 make the comparison to the Days of Noah   Spiritual Decay (living is as if God didn’t exist) v.37 Matthew 24:37 37But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Genesis 6:5 5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Shameless Depravity (Gross Immorality) Matthew 24:38-39 38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. What is so wrong with what they were doing? They were living as if God didn’t exist. Sorrowful Demise (Ignored God’s warning) v.40 41 Matthew 24:40-41 40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Doesn’t that have to do with the Rapture? No, the Rapture has already taken place. We have already been given the type of Rapture of Church in Noah’s Story, Enoch. Jesus in His Olivet Discourse has already changed the attention to the Tribulation period and now sign of His Coming. Let’s look back at previous verse 39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  These folks were destroyed in a flood. They were removed by Judgment. When Jesus Christ returns there will be a removal of those in the earth who will not enter the Kingdom (Revelation 19)   Outline: “The Days of Noah” Genesis 6:1-13 Corruption - 6:1-5   Genesis 6:1-5 1And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.   There is a disagreement regarding the interpretation of this verse. “The sons of God” = Angels; The sons of God were not angels Always compare scripture with scripture   Chapter 4 – Two lines (1.) Cain = Rebellious man (a type of the see of the serpent) and (2) Seth = “then began men to call upon the name of the Lord” (seed of Christ)   Chapter 6: 5 “5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” This would result in a worldwide judgment = a flood   How do you get from Chapter 4 where there are two groups to chapter 6 where there is literally everyone on earth (estimated 7 billion) who were extremely wicked except Noah and his family (8 people)   Genesis 6:2 “The sons of God (Seth’s line) saw the daughters of men (Cain’s line) that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.   Remember something, salvation is a personal decision. They were the “son’s of God” because like Adam, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Methusalah – they chose to have faith in God. Now, we see them mixing with the world. Just like satan used the woman in the garden to get to Adam, he is using the daughters of Cain to the godly line that came down from Seth. The result was catastrophic. God would end up judging the world in a flood. That’s how far man would get from God. He gave them 120 years to make things right with Him but they rejected Him.   The “sons of God” were not angels because the results of this was rebellion and worldwide judgment. Then demons? No, demons would not be referred to as “the Son’s of God.”   But they produced Giants? No, Giants were already on the earth and not a direct result “There were giants in the earth in those days”. All of the offspring of man in this day were outstanding individuals. However, that’s all they were, men. This is not the mixing of Angels and women, it is the line of Seth mixing with the line of Cain in Rebellion to God.   Condemnation – Genesis 6:6,7 “it repenteth the Lord” it means God changed His mind about man. From the beginning of when man sinned against God until now, God is seeking out man. He went searching for Adam. He tried giving Cain a second chance. He is now going to give man 120 years to make things right. However, God cannot accept sin. Yes, He is loving, He is Gracious. He is also perfect. He is also Righteous and Just. The Love of God is not Him tolerating sin The Love of God is Him being longsuffering and giving man opportunities. Do not pass up on the opportunity to give your heart and life to Jesus Christ. You may not get another one.   Compassion- Genesis 6:8 Genesis 6:8 8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.   Hebrews 11:7 7By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.   Why did Adam name the woman Eve? Why did Abel bring the firstlings of his flock as an offering to God? Why did Enoch walk with God? Why did Noah walk with God?   Faith.   Conclusion: Ephesians 2:8-9 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.

Title:  Good vs Evil Text:  Gen 4:16-5:32 Theme: The continued struggle of Good and Evil in Genesis 4-6 Genesis 3:15 15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. From the fall of man to the present day, there has been a struggle between good and evil. What is this struggle? Who is good and who is evil? Will one be victorious and how? All this and more as we look at the long struggle of Good and Evil. You are listening to Preach the Word with Dean Carmichael, Jr Introduction:  Read Title: Good vs Evil (The long struggle of Good and Evil found in scripture). (Continues in Genesis 4 and is still going on) We are going to look at the two seeds and the result. There is a period of about 1500 years between the fall and the flood. John Philips refers to this time period as “A Catastrophe”  J Vernon Mcgee says “In Genesis 3 we have the root of sin and in Genesis 4 we have the fruit of sin.” Who? Good (God) vs Evil (Satan) What? The battle of man’s soul. The decision to be in Christ or die as a child of Satan.  Where? The entire Scriptures When? The Fall of man (Genesis 3)  Why? Deception and Disobedience (previous sermons) Genesis 3:6-7 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.   How: (re-visit Gen 3:15) Genesis 3:15 15And I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it (Christ) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. This verse promises a Redeemer would come, and that He would come from the Human Race (her seed). Galatians 3:16 16Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. Romans 1:3 3Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our LORD, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 1 Timothy 3:16 16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. This verse also promises that there would be a constant struggle between Satan and Christ. “The most prominent thought is not the ultimate victory that would come, but the long-continued struggle. This verse reveals the fact that now there is to be a long struggle between good and evil. This is exactly what you will find in the rest of the Scriptures.” – Dr. J. Vernon McGee Jesus made the distinction between children of God and children of Satan (The Devil) John 8:44 44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John mentions this conflict in 1 Joh 3:10   1 John 3:10 10In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. How Much: Satan’s Attack:  Satan has been opposing God's plans for ages. Whatever God plans and hopes for this World, satan opposes it and does anything and everything he can to stop it from happening.   Deception - (of a person) cause (someone) to believe something that is not true, typically in order to gain some personal advantage.   2Co 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”   First thing – He Question’s the Word ( He cast a shadow of doubt over God’s Word:)   Second thing – He Denies the Word of God   Last thing – he substitutes his own words for the Word of God   Questioning the Word; denying the Word; and then perverting the Word. That is a tactic Satan has used and is still using today!   NOTE: We must understand something. Satan wants to destroy you. He's a liar, a trickster, a deceiver, and a murderer. He destroys homes, he destroys nations and he destroys lives.   Ephesians 6:12 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.     Man’s Rebellion:  There were three orders of creation: Angels, Animals, and Man. The animals did not have a choice. We know that Lucifer a created angel rebelled (Satan) and he took 2/3 of the angels with him (Demons). Man also made their decision, and Adam chose to rebel. God created man, man is now away from God, so God must deal and Judge him. God cannot accept sin. The sin problem must be dealt with.   God’s Salvation:  How does fallen man, children of the devil, get victory? Before Christ (looking to the Cross) it was through Obedience in Faith. (Adam, Eve, Abel are examples in Gen 3,4) Today, we look back to the cross but we must still come by Faith. It is all through Grace. Salvation is not man’s search for God. We will see that in the upcoming scriptures. Salvation is God’s search for man. Genesis 3:9 9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? Genesis 4:6-7 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. Romans 3:11 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. John 15:16 16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. This is the struggle of Good vs Evil. God is searching for man and Satan is deceiving and destroying. Outline:  Rebellion: Genesis 4:16-25 Cain’s path- v.16 After Cain killed Abel, he went eastward of Eden and Dwelt in the land of Nod (Wandering) We are not sure exactly where Nod was, but it may just be that Cain “wandered” from place to place.  His descendants: v.17 Cain would know  The ungodly line of Cain – v.18-24 Enoch, Irad, Mehujael, Methusak, Lamech and his three sons (Jabal, Jubal, and Tubalcain. Of those descendants, the most notable who led them into rebellion against God was Lamech. First thing he did was openly defy God’s ordination of Marriage.   One thing that is obvious about the line of Cain – they were in it for themselves. They wanted to prosper on a world that was cursed.  Urbanization (Cain built a city) agriculture, science, technology, music and entertainment, animal domestication, activities, interest, so on and so forth. (illustration of the world before the flood- no telling what all man was able to accomplish) They made all these accomplishments but the only problem was none of them drew them closer to God. Adam sinned and the earth became cursed. Cain and his descendants brought advancements to the earth, but the only problem is the earth is still cursed.   Responsibility: Gen 4:25-5:32 God promises that there would be a redeemer – Gen 3:15 Adam comes to God by Faith – Gen 3:20 Genesis 3:15 “And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living” Notice: “the mother of all living” God promised He would send a Redeemer through the seed of the woman. So, Adam named her Eve because, by faith, He trusted that God would send a Redeemer. He could have called her many names at this point, but instead he decided to put Faith in his Father. God clothes them – v. 24 This is the best part of the story by far. Adam comes to God by Faith, so blood is shed to cover his nakedness. “There, in Eden, in paradise itself, blood was shed for the very first time. Adam and Eve must have stood there aghast as they saw the creature taken in their stead and slaughtered before their eyes – it’s bloodshed, its covering made theirs. It was the first dramatic illustration of the ultimate cost of Calvary, of the horror and dreadfulness of sin. Sin is a radical disease and it calls for a radical cure.” – Dr. John Philips   When Adam realizes he is lost and without hope (those fig leaves weren’t going to cut it!), he comes to God by Faith, and is clothed after the blood of an innocent was shed. God planned man’s redemption before ever forming Adam.    Results: Genesis 4:16-5:32 There was death There was Responsibility There was a Struggle.        Conclusion: How does one declare the victory over Evil? There is a lot of evil in the world. (present time of this recording America is in an absolute mess – Government, Churches, and with Society) J Vernon McGee (Spiritual Apostacy, Political Anarchy, and Moral Awfulness) In 2020, that has happened in America. What is the biggest issue of the Church? (The Government infringing upon our rights! No; Financial problems! No; It’s Spiritual Apostacy. A willful ignorance of the Word of God. Political Anarchy – in the midst of a Global pandemic; while we try to band together and stay strong, it seems we have only gotten further apart. Moral Awfulness -  Pride, Hate, Prejudice, absolute destruction. Racism is still an issue in our country. People are being hated for the color of their skin.  Dishonesty is an issue. Lying, cheating, and stealing is running rampant while millions of people (including children) go hugry.  Innocents are being murdered by the millions.   There were 6 million jews brutally murdered in the Holocaust. Innocent people, an unspeakable act. (If we held a moment of silence for every victim of the holocaust we would be silent for 11.5 years) (Abortion) Since 1973, there have been 60.1 million innocent babies murdered in the wombs of their own mother in AMERICA alone. Hypocrasy is running rampant. Those responsible for fighting evil with the Gospel have closed their Bibles and are fighting only certain aspects of evil with politics, activism and social media -  while turning a blind eye to other evils  Good is being called evil and evil is being called good We have advanced so far in technology yet have strayed so far from God.  Homes are broken.  The Divorce rate in the united states is 50% In 2017, the second leading cause of death for ages 10-24 was suicide.  “More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, COMBINED.” (Parent Resource Program – based on stats from the CDC) (illustration of Memorial Day, 2020) An act of pure evil. A helpless man, black man,(don’t know the whole story, a possible suspect? Either way, he was put in handcuffs placed on the ground and one of the 4 officers at the scene got on top and put his knee over his neck) the man was helpless -  pleading for his life that he couldn’t breathe. What happened? The man ended up dying (7-9 minutes) Killed by an individual who was put in place to protect innocent life and restore order(to protect and serve) – instead he took an innocent life and added fuel to a fire of destruction that Satan has been using to destroy the soul of man. The response of this murder has our country in complete turmoil. Unnecessary violence from an evil person is now instigating more violence. Pointing the blame, stereotyping, using fire to fight fire. There is division and destruction.  What the answer? I saw something, a hashtag that’s being used (social media used to identify a message) and that’s to Stand in the Gap. Now, if the movement that is using this knows it or not, this is a Biblical term. And not only is this the answer for the racial division in our country, it’s the answer to everything. The entire battle of Good and Evil. The battle of a man’s soul. It can be found in standing in the Gap, however, there is only ONE who can stand in the Gap. Eze 22:30  And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.   Spiritual Apostacy, Political Anarchy, Moral Awfulness   Ezekiel was a prophet who was held captive in Babylon. Contemporary with Jeremiah and Daniel. Jeremiah prophesied of the coming captivity of Babylon and would live to see it. He was an old man when the captivity began while Daniel and Ezekiel were both young men. We do not know if Daniel and Ezekiel knew each other but they knew Jeremiah. Ezekiel’s Generation - v.1,2,25 v.1,2 - Bloody City = Jerusalem Present condition = self inflicted Hosea (N.K) Lack of Knowledge (Immorality, Ignorance, Idolatry) False prophets were saying everything was okay - getting along nicely - v.25 Ezekiel’s Grief - v.26-29 Captivity of Babylon. Problem is, they had been warned but nobody listened to Jeremiah (weeping prophet) Nobody listened to Hosea in the Northern Kingdom who several hundred years before were capture by Assyria. People were not listening to the Prophets, they were raising their children in sin away from God Hos 4:6  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Ezekiel’s God - v.30-31 God was looking for a man to fill the gap. To make the hedge. He is a God of Mercy (not willing that any should perish)   The phrase “Son of Man” is the key phrase in Ezekiel and it’s used  (over 90 times) — 'adam, aw-dawm'; from 119; ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.): — X another, + hypocrite, + common sort, X low, man (mean, of low degree), person.   Eze 22:30  And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.   'iysh, eesh; contracted for 582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation): — also, another, any (man), a certain, + champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), + none, one, people, person, WORTHY   There was not a man that could be found to stand in the gap, to stand between a Holy God and Displeasure (SIN). We cannot fix this problem.   Only the God man, the second Adam, the last Adam, Jesus Christ.    You want to the answer to the battle of Good and Evil? You want the answer to murder, hate, racism, violence, depression, suicide, broken homes?   Matthew 11:28-29 28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.   He stands in the Gap. He is the mediator between God and man. Friend, He is the answer.   Man is looking for the answer, yet the Answer is looking for man. Isaiah 1:18-20 KJV Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

008   Title: Without the Shedding of Blood Text:  Genesis 4:1-13; Hebrews 9:22 Theme: God’s conditions for Salvation According to research, there are over 4,200 Religions in the world. A few of the main ones are Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, Buddhism, Muslims, etc. This is counting “main Religions”, but if you look within Christianity, there are many denominations. But a real question is how many Religions are there really? According to the Bible, there are only 2. We will look at a passage in the Bible that clearly shows each of these “Religions” and which way is the only way to God.  “Without the Shedding of Blood” Key Verse: Hebrews 9:22b “and without shedding of blood is no remission.” According to the Bible, there are really only two Religions: A Religion of Works Salvation by Grace One tells us that we can work our way to God, and the other tells us that we are totally helpless without Him.  Let’s take a closer look at the last part of Hebrews 9:22 “and without shedding of blood is no remission.” “without” – “apart from; no other way” God is Holy and Righteous and demands that sin be paid for. God does not overlook sin.  Ezekiel 18:4 “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Ezekiel was a prophet who was held captive in Babylon. Contemporary with Jeremiah and Daniel. Jeremiah prophesied of the coming captivity of Babylon and would live to see it. He was an old man when the captivity began while Daniel and Ezekiel were both young men. We do not know if Daniel and Ezekiel knew each other but they knew Jeremiah. Bloody City = Jerusalem Present condition = self inflicted Hosea (N.K) Lack of Knowledge (Immorality, Ignorance, Idolatry) False prophets were saying everything was okay - getting along nicely  Problem is, Israel was warned of these coming captivities but nobody listened to Jeremiah (weeping prophet). Nobody listened to Hosea in the Northern Kingdom who several hundred years before were capture by Assyria. People were not listening to the Prophets, they were raising their children in sin away from God. Israel was God's chosen nation who were in captivity because of their disobedience.  Ezekiel had two main goals of his ministry 1.)  remind the captives of their sins and 2.)  encourage them concerning future blessings of God. He was known as the “watchman” for Israel in Babylon. He warned Israel to turn from their wicked ways or they would be destroyed in Babylon. In chapter 18, Ezekiel deals with a critical responsibility given by God – the individual’s responsibility. Israel was where they were because of their sin, but these sins were broken down to the sins of the people. Each individual person had made a choice. An important part of Ezekiel’s prophecy was to warn the wicked if they didn’t repent they would be destroyed physically. He was also to warn the Righteous if they abandoned their ways they too would be destroyed. This is all goes down to the individual responsibility before God. “One of the great principles of scripture is enunciated (pronounced) in this chapter (Ezekiel 18:4) judgment is according to individual conduct. The judgments Ezekiel introduces here are temporal judgments, and the death dealt with is physical death. Ezekiel was not at this time dealing with the problem of the suffering of the innocent, vicarious suffering or corporate suffering. He had foretold national punishment, but he had to bring home to them an individual sense of sin.” – Charles Lee Feinberg “The Soul that sinneth, it shall die” The question here then, is who all has sinned? Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” This brings us back to our main point, there are only two Religions in the world. If all have sinned and come short, we must find a way to get to God. So, of the two Religions; 1.) Religion of Works; and 2.) a Salvation by Grace, which is it? Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” “In the great protevangelic prophecy, God had spoken of a coming conflict between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. Adam and Eve were soon to experience the reality of this conflict in the tragic story of their two sons. The story of Cain and Abel, while in every way to be understood as actual history, is also a parable of the agelong conflict of the two seeds. Cain typifies the “seed of the serpent,” while Abel is a type of Christ, the “seed of the woman.” In a secondary sense, Abel represents also those who, by faith, are “in Christ”, and who therefore also are in a spiritual sense, “seed of the woman.” – Henry M. Morriss   Introduction:  Who Cain – (possession, acquisition) The first man ever born of a woman and also the founder of False Religion. Any way you look at this, Cain tried a different way other than God’s way (the way of Christ). Any way to God that is different than the Shedding of Christ blood, is False Religion. It may be Cain’s way (Religion) the way of works. It may be through unbelief and rejection (the days of Noah) it may be through a man, regardless it is false Religion. Abel – (breath, vapor)  The second man ever born on earth, murdered by his brother, who came by faith meeting God’s requirements (Salvation by Grace)  Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” What The two offerings – Read Gen 4:3-5 Cain brings the fruit of the ground - Religion of Works and it is rejected. Abel brought a blood sacrifice - Salvation by Grace and it is accepted The murder -Read Gen 4:6-10 Where The Garden of Eden   When After the fall of man  Why To be brought to fellowship with God  How Cain brings the fruit of the ground - Religion of Works and it is rejected. Abel brought a blood sacrifice - Salvation by Grace and it is accepted How Much The Prophecy: Genesis 3:15 Break it down Genesis 3:15 15And I will put enmity between thee (satan) and the woman (Eve), and between thy seed and her seed; it (Christ) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. The Parents: Genesis 3:20 Notice: “the mother of all living” God promised He would send a Redeemer through the seed of the woman. So, Adam named her Eve because, by faith, He trusted that God would send a Redeemer. He could have called her many names at this point, but instead he decided to put Faith in his Father. When Adam realizes he is lost and without hope (those fig leaves weren’t going to cut it!), he comes to God by Faith, and is clothed after the blood of an innocent was shed. God planned man’s redemption before ever forming Adam. He promised us a Redeemer, and that redeemer came. His name is Jesus Christ and He became sin for us. The day I realized I was lost, I came to God by Faith, and the Blood of Jesus Christ covered me, declaring me righteous. The Place “In the Process of time” Gen 4:3 “at the end of days” it was the end of the week and now the Sabbath day. The day of worship. They were to bring their sacrifices before God. “at the end of days” think about that for a second. One day, you will stand before a mighty God, your best will not be enough. Only to be declared Righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ can we have a relationship with God. Outline:  The Practice of Cain – His Religion: Gen 4:3 Jude 11 “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.” “What is the way of Cain? When Cain brought an offering to God, he did not come by faith – he came on his own. And the offering that he brought denied that human nature is evil.” – J. Vernon McGee Cain felt he was good enough to come to God through his own works. This denies the separation of God and man. Pride is a funny thing and it will get us into trouble. Here is a man that thinks that he is so good that he doesn’t need to come God’s way. I believe that Cain honestly brought his very best before God. This is religion. There are very good people (in our eyes) when it comes to most religions. The only problem is, it doesn’t solve the sin problem.   The Pride of Cain – His Resentment: Gen 4:6,7 Pride is a funny thing and it will get us into some serious trouble. Cain was very proud and thought he could please God on his own terms. Something we have to understand about the Bible, is that man is totally depraved. This is not popular, but it’s necessary for Salvation. We have to understand that we are totally separated from God because of our sin nature and that the only way to Him is through the Blood of Jesus Christ. Cain didn’t come this way though. He resented it. He refused twice (that we know of) to bring God a blood offering. His pride got in the way.   God gives Cain a second chance to make things right. He is a Gracious God and loving. He also warns Cain “sin lieth at the door”. (Illustration of the danger of rejecting God) Notice something about this that goes with the theme of the message. “Am I my brother’s keeper? Cain performs the unspeakable act of murdering his own brother out of a rage and after doing so even still thinks he’s innocent.   Notice something: The Pride of Cain not only turns down a Holy, Just and Righteous God. He also turns down a Merciful and Gracious God.    Sometimes, if we are not careful, we tell the story of Cain and Abel and leave out an important part of it.  Here is a classic way you hear the story of Cain and Abel - “Adam and Even had two boys, Cain and Abel. One was good and the other was bad. God rejected Cain’s offering and accepted Abel’s sacrifice. Cain got mad and killed Abel. God made him a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth” When you tell the story this way we leave room for Calvinism. “God predestined Abel for Heaven and Cain for Hell.” But when you tell the whole story as given in Genesis 4, it shows the Grace of God to ALL men. Before Cain killed Abel, after he became angry in verses 6 and 7 God gives him a second chance. “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” In other words, if you do what Abel did, I will make things right between you and me. Why would God do that? Why would He go to Cain to give him a second chance?    2 Peter 3:9 9The LORD is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.   Friends, this is a loving God. This is a caring God. He sought after Cain. He talks to Him one on one trying to reason with him. He gives him a second chance. Why? Because He loved him. If you believe this is a God that picks and chooses who goes to Hell then you have missed a very important truth in the Bible!   John 3:16 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.     The Powerlessness of Cain – His Requirement   Galatians 5:2-4 2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.   Conclusion Hebrews 9:22b “and without shedding of blood is no remission.”   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.  

Episode 007   Title:  Adam and the Woman Text: Genesis 3:6-21 Introduction:  Who?  Adam & Eve What? Their Relationship Where?  The Garden of Eden When? Age of innocence Why?  Adam was alone and needed a helper - Genesis 2:18-24 How?  Marriage - The act of uniting a man and woman for life How much? “Marriage” Gen 2:18-24 Originated by God – v.18-22 Woman was the last act of creation and not only completed creation, but completed man.  God created the woman for man. The animals had a companion, but man did not.  Genesis 6:19 19And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Genesis 1:22-24 22And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. God created the woman specifically for the man. He took Woman from the side of man, not to be a master or a slave, but the helper.   Ordained by God – v.22-24 Ordain – appoint, consecrate, authorize “Marriage was the first institution ordained by God after the creation of man, and it is the bedrock of the human society. Anything which corrupts marriage and the home is a direct threat to society as a whole.” – David Cloud “The integrity and permanence of the individual home is of such great importace that God made it pain from the beginning that marriage was intended to be permanent until death. It is true, of course, that with marriage as well as with all other human activities, “God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions” (Eccl 7:29) Polygamy, concubinage, polyandry, easy divorce, adultery, promiscuity, and other distortions of the marriage covenant have permeated many cultures; but, as the Lord Jesus said: “From the beginning is was not so” (Matthew 19:8) – Dr. Henry M. Morris   Overseen by God – v.24 Who is the overseer of this great unity?  God himself. Mark 10:9 9What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. The Genesis record of marriage is not allegorical, but historical. Meaning, that marriage was originated, ordained, and overseen by God in its Holy unity. In order for a marriage to be truly be successful, it must follow the guidelines given by God himself. (Eph5:22-33) Ephesians 5:22-33 King James Version (KJV) “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”   Outline: “Adam and the Woman” Genesis 3:6-21 Let’s look at the relationship between Adam and the Woman after marriage was Originated, Ordained, and Overseen by God; through the fall and up to the conversion of Adam and the Woman. When Adam Chose the woman; it revealed his Failure: Genesis 3:6 “Adam was not deceived by the serpent. Did you know that? Paul makes it clear in 1 Timothy 2:14—Adam did not fall because he was deceived. His sin was different; in some ways, it was more serious in that he did it with open eyes. We do not know how long it lasted, but there was a moment in Eden when Eve was fallen and Adam was not; she had eaten, but he yet had a choice. I believe something took place in his heart that went like this: I have lost my soul mate, the most vital companion I’ve known. I do not know what life will be like, but I know I cannot live without her. Adam chose Eve over God.” – John T. Eldridge, Wild at Heart Satan did not tempt Adam, he tempted the woman. Why? Notice what Eve said: “Neither shall we touch it” God never said that. (Gen 2:16,17) Genesis 2:16-17 16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Yes, this was the age of innocence. But it’s clear that satan knew he could get to Adam through Eve. Satan knows how to get to us. Adam’s failure came when he chose the Woman over God. Be warned of this Christian! This should be our prayer: “Thank you, Lord, for the spouse you have given us! Thank you, Lord for the Beautiful Children! Thank you, Lord, for the many blessings! But Lord, guard our hearts to keep you first, ‘Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices’ (2 Corinthians 2:11) Amen!”   Why Adam Covered the woman; it revealed his Fear: Genesis 3:7-14 Before the fall, man did not have a conscience, now they do and they realized they were naked. Not only were they naked, but they were separate from God. That’s what sin has done; it separates us from God. He tries clothing himself but it does not get Him back in fellowship with God. Isaiah 64:6 6But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (illust. justifying anything)   What Adam Called the woman; it revealed his Faith: Genesis 3:15-21 God promises that there would be a redeemer – v.15 Adam comes to God by Faith – v.20 Genesis 3:20 “And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living” Notice: “the mother of all living” God promised He would send a Redeemer through the seed of the woman. So, Adam named her Eve because, by faith, He trusted that God would send a Redeemer. He could have called her many names at this point, but instead he decided to put Faith in his Father. When Adam realizes he is lost and without hope (those fig leaves weren’t going to cut it!), he comes to God by Faith, and is clothed after the blood of an innocent was shed. God planned man’s redemption before ever forming Adam. He promised us a Redeemer, and that redeemer came. His name is Jesus Christ and He became sin for us. The day I realized I was lost, I came to God by Faith, and the Blood of Jesus Christ covered me, declaring me righteous.   Conclusion:  When Adam Chose the woman; it revealed his Failure: Genesis 3:6 Why Adam Covered the woman; it revealed his Fear: Genesis 3:7-14 What Adam Called the woman; it revealed his Faith: Genesis 3:15-21 A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks. A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.  

Episode 006 Title: “The Great Conflict” Text: Genesis 3:7-24 Theme: The Great Conflict between Good and Evil Key verses: Genesis 3:15 Introduction:  Who?  The seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman What? The first prophecy of the Bible Genesis 3:15 15And I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it (Christ) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. This verse promises a Redeemer would come, and that He would come from the Human Race (her seed). Galatians 3:16 16Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. Romans 1:3 3Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our LORD, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 1 Timothy 3:16 16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. This verse also promises that there would be a constant struggle between Satan and Christ. “The most prominent thought is not the ultimate victory that would come, but the long-continued struggle. This verse reveals the fact that now there is to be a long struggle between good and evil. This is exactly what you will find in the rest of the Scriptures.” – Dr. J. Vernon McGee You want a classic story of Good vs Evil? (read the Bible!)  Jesus made the distinction between children of God and children of Satan (The Devil) John 8:44 44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John mentions this conflict in 1 Joh 3:10 1 John 3:10 10In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. This conflict of the Serpent and Christ, is typified in the story of Cain and Abel. Abel – is a type of Christ, “the seed of the woman” Cain – is a type of “the seed of the Serpent” Where?  Garden of Eden  When? After the fall of mankind, in Genesis 3.  What are the results from the fall? Evil thoughts, Fear, Excuses, Pain during child birth, Cursed ground, Labor and sorrow, Banishment from God, Death. Oh, but it doesn’t stop there, my friend. Genesis 2:4 “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,” Verse 4 – Notice something in this verse. In Chapter 1, we saw the name “God” 32 times in 31 verses. The Hebrew name “Elohim” which we talked about being plural. (Trinity) The Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. A plural noun that is almost always used with a singular verb or adjective. Three distinct persons but one God. In verse 1 we see the first mention of LORD. (Jehova God) Jehovah “A name for God used in the O.T. It refers to God as the One who keeps covenant and mercy with His People.” – Dr. David Cloud “Here in the closing review of creation, the name Elohim is connected with the name Jehova (LORD). Jehovah is the same God, only viewed as being in covenant relation with those He has created. The first appearance of the name Jehovah follows the creation of man, for pre-eminently it is God’s redemptive name. As Elohim, He tossed the worlds into space; as Jeohvah, He plans man’s redemption before ever He fashioned Adam’s clay.” – Dr. John Phillips Go back to chapter 2, what is God doing? He’s resting because His work was perfect. Now, He is not resting. Once sin enters the picture in Genesis Chapter 3 there is nothing else in the Bible regarding God resting. The Bible tells us that the Triune God becomes involved in man’s redemption. After the fall, Adam and Eve try clothing themselves with fig leaves – Genesis 3:7-11 Before the fall, man did not have a conscience, now they do and they realized they were naked. Not only were they naked, but they were separate from God. That’s what sin has done; it separates us from God. He tries clothing himself but it does not get Him back in fellowship with God. Isaiah 64:6 6But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (illust. justifying anything) So, what happens next? God promises that there would be a redeemer – v.15 Adam comes to God by Faith – v.20 Genesis 3:15 “And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living” Notice: “the mother of all living” God promised He would send a Redeemer through the seed of the woman. So, Adam named her Eve because, by faith, He trusted that God would send a Redeemer. He could have called her many names at this point, but instead he decided to put Faith in his Father. God clothes them – v. 24 This is the best part of the story by far. Adam comes to God by Faith, so blood is shed to cover his nakedness. “There, in Eden, in paradise itself, blood was shed for the very first time. Adam and Eve must have stood there aghast as they saw the creature taken in their stead and slaughtered before their eyes – it’s bloodshed, its covering made theirs. It was the first dramatic illustration of the ultimate cost of Calvary, of the horror and dreadfulness of sin. Sin is a radical disease and it calls for a radical cure.” – Dr. John Philips When Adam realizes he is lost and without hope (those fig leaves weren’t going to cut it!), he comes to God by Faith, and is clothed after the blood of an innocent was shed. God planned man’s redemption before ever forming Adam. He promised us a Redeemer, and that redeemer came. His name is Jesus Christ and He became sin for us. The day I realized I was lost, I came to God by Faith, and the Blood of Jesus Christ covered me, declaring me righteous. Why?  Man’s Failure; God’s Grace Man is a failure. Sin is sin! Certain sins don’t make us worse or better than the other. The fall of man separated us from God. God knew that Adam would fall, but He sent us a Redeemer. May we never forget the Grace of God! “Men go astray from God by nature, but they only return to God through Grace.” – C.H. Spurgeon Romans 3:20-24 20Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: How?   Outline:  Genesis 3:15 15And I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it (Christ) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. The Struggle:  “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed;” “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman” Enmity – the quality of being an enemy; ill will First off, it is evident that the serpent = Satan. This prophecy is not between snakes and woman, but Satan and mankind. SATAN, IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. This world is not your friend. 1 John 2:16 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. “and between thy seed and her seed”  Constant battle of good verses evil. You have the seed of Satan vs the seed of the woman. Satan is the prince and the power of the air. He is the father of all sin, lies, deceit. He is here to destroy and devour. Jesus Christ came to seek and save that which is lost. Ephesians 2:1-3 1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. The Savior:  “it shall bruise thy head,” Who is this? Christ, is bruising satan’s head. Let’s go back and read the verse up to this point. And I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it (Christ) shall bruise thy head, This is best described in a commentary by Adam, Clarke “The address is not given to Adam and Eve, but to Eve alone; and it was in consequence of this purpose of God that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin; this, and this alone, is what is implied in the promise of the seed of the woman bruising the head of the serpent. Jesus Christ died to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself and to destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the Devil. Thus he bruises his head – destroys his power and lordship over mankind turning them from the power of Satan unto God.” – Adam Clarke 1 Corinthians 15:55-58 55O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our LORD Jesus Christ. 58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the LORD, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the LORD. The Serpent:  “and thou shalt bruise his heel” Satan bruised the heel of Christ. God required that the salvation of mankind only be through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ through His death on the Cross. Isaiah 53:5-8 5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 1 Peter 3:18 18For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: Hebrews 10:10 10By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. This also refers to the followers, spiritual seed, of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our heel is bruised by Satan because we are followers of Christ. 2 Timothy 3:12 12Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.

Episode 005 Genesis Title: Without Genesis Text: Genesis 1:1 Introduction: The book of Genesis is a remarkable book. Writer = Moses “The Book of Beginnings” Heaven Earth Man Woman Marriage Sabbath Sin Sacrifice Prophecy Human Government Nations of the Earth Family of Israel Covers a period of about 2,200 years (Illustration of time periods) (Abram 2091 B.C) (Moses was born in 1525 B.C.) First Mentions in Genesis Hermeneutics is the science of interpreting the Bible First Mention Principle – “the first mention of a subject, the truth with which that subject stands connected in the mind of God.” Subtlety of Satan – Gen 3:1 Genesis 3:1King James Version (KJV) 3 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? John 8:44King James Version (KJV) 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. “Faith” – Gen 15:6 Genesis 15:6King James Version (KJV) 6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Abraham believed God and He counted it for Righteousness. Righteousness is always counted to a man based on faith. ( I know Whom I have Believed) “Holiness” Gen 2:3 (set apart) “Worship” Gen 22  “Spirit of God” “moved” 4 Great Events Creation Day 1- vs. 1-5-  Heaven and the earth, light, divided light from darkness (night and day) Day 2- vs. 6-8-vapour above water below Day 3- vs. 9-13-dry land, plant life Day 4- vs. 14-19- sun, moon, stars Day 5- vs. 20-23-animal life Day 6- vs. 24-31- creation of man
This finishes chapter 1 “Most God centered chapters in the entire Bible. God is mentioned 32 times in 31 verses. The Holy Spirit brings us to the presence of God and keeps us there.” The Fall of Man The Great Flood The Tower of Babel 4 Great People  Abraham – The man of Faith  Isaac – Promised Son Jacob – Prince of God Joseph – The Type of Christ Dr. Tom Wallace “Digest of the Old Testament” “The book of Genesis is to a Christian what a foundation is to a house. It forms a basis for all the revelation of the Bible. It tells us the beginning of everything but God. It is the seed plot of the Bible. Almost every subject of major importance has it’s roots in Genesis.” Israel – Promise Place, and Purpose of Israel Fall of Man – Reason, Ruin, Result, and Recovery of the fall of mankind 3 O.T. Books that are hated by Satan Daniel ( second coming of Christ to destroy his enemies) 70 weeks of Daniel Jonah - (in type) predicts the death and resurrection of Christ. Genesis (incarnation of Christ in seed of woman) Read Title – “Without Genesis” Why is it attacked? (Illustration of our Beliefs) Gen 1:1, This verse is probably the most attacked of the entire Book. If God created us then what He says in His word is true. We are born sinners, Jesus is the only way, Hell is real,etc.. this is why Gen 1 is so attacked!             Atheism(no God)/ Agnosticism(is there a God?)- His existence
            Polytheism(Many gods)- Declaring Himself one
            Pantheism(all is God)- By separating Himself from matter
How is it attacked?
Man-Evolution, Atheism
The Devil- Gen 3:4 “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.”
 Time- Gen 1:5,8,13,19,22,31. There are a lot of theories about Gen 1. First of all Genesis one is NOT A THEORY! The Bible is very straight forward about what happened in the Beginning. There were 6 literal days! Many people will attack this chapter and add to it. (not much has changed)
        1. Day age theory- That the days mentioned are not 24 hour days but as ages/ periods of time
        2. Gap theory- Between vs. 1 and 2 there is a gap of countless ages ( fit for man)
        3. Revelation theory- Believe that days are not days of creation but of revelation to Moses

            a. Supernatural- Ex Nihilo- out of nothing
            b. Sudden- no build up, no delay, no trial, no error, no process, no gradual development
            c. Superior- animals adapted to environment and have all that is necessary to surive and live.
            d. Superficial Appearance of Age- Creation was fully complete and functioned from the beginning. God supernaturally created a full grown earth in 6 literal days. The earth did not need time or billions of years to do certain things.  *when you believe these theories man have came up with it helps them satisfy their opinion of long period of time to form the earth.
 Trinity- Gen 1:26
The Trinity- God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
Another reason why Gen 1 is attacked is because of the Trinity. The Trinity is the great three in one. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This is the great three in One. This shows Jesus Christ as God almighty. *illustration of how that is attacked* ( “lets weigh the evidence- Barry Burton” 1 Tim3:16)
A lot of false religions believe in Jesus but they do not proclaim Him as Lord. Rev 1:8 1 John 5:7King James Version (KJV) 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. Outline: “Without Genesis” I. No Authority Romans 13:1 - Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Colossians 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”  II. No Absolute Absolute - a value or principle that is regarded as universally valid or that may be viewed without relation to other things: (good vs evil) Romans 12:21 - Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Illustration of what people do by defining good and evil (homosexuality, etc)
Isaiah 5:20 - Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! III. No Accuracy (truth) Bible 2 Timothy 3:16King James Version (KJV)16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: Forgiveness Eternity  Conclusion: Without Genesis, we have no Authority, we have no Absolute, and we have no Accuracy. A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.  

Episode 004 Title: “The Source of the Problem” Text: Gen 3:1-6  Theme: the devil and his ways Key Verse:  Gen 3:1-6 Introduction: Who?  The Devil What?  Deception, Devices and destruction of the Devil Where?  Garden When: In the beginning Why? To Disobey God How? Trickery and deception How much?  Beginning - He was created by God Col 1:16 Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:   B. Beauty - Ezek 28:12-16 Ezekiel 28:12-16 12Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. "annointed cherib" he was a very lovely, with amazing musical talents (pipes and tabrets) lucifer - shining   C. Blasphemy - IS. 14:13,14 Isaiah 14:13-14 13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.   The Devil- Rev 12:9 (slanderer) Prince of the Power of the air - Eph 2:2 Prince of this world - John 12:31 god of this world - 2 Cor 4:4 (men rebelled against the true God and serve satan, some knowingly and some unknowingly) The Dragon - Rev 12 Old Serpent - Rev 12 Roaring Lion - 1 Peter 5:8 Ruler of Darkness - Eph 6:12 Beelzebub - Matt 12 (dungeon god) Apollyn - Rev 9:11 (destroyer) The Wicked one - Matt 13:19 Belial - 2 Cor 6:15 (worthless) Tempter - 1 Thess 3:5 The Enemy - Matt 13:39 Mat 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.   His name is satan The Bible does not portray satan as an evil influence, but an evil individual -Job1:6-12 Job 1:6  Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. Job 1:7  And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.   \Jesus being Tempted) Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.   "Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by The Rolling Stones, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and credited to Jagger/Richards. Sung by Jagger, the song is an homage to the Devil, written in the first-person narrative from his point of view, recounting the atrocities committed throughout the history of humanity in his name."   In today's society, people would rather blame God.   But when we go to the source of the problem – we find satan. (example of laminator) Sin problem must be dealt with. Outline:  The Source of the problem: the source is the Devil! The Devil’s Deception – Gen 3:1-6 2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.   he's a liar, a trickster, a deceiver he's a murderer he destroys homes he destroys nations he destroys lives satan has been opposing God's plans for ages. Whatever God plans and hopes for this World, satan opposes it and does anything and everything he can to stop it from happening.   Deception - (of a person) cause (someone) to believe something that is not true, typically in order to gain some personal advantage.   First thing – He Question’s the Word ( He cast a shadow of doubt over God’s Word:) Verse 1-  The Serpent: We do not know where the serpent came from, but we know the serpent was used of satan.  No doubt a beautiful and majestic creature.  2 Corinthians 11:14 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. “Queen Jadis was the sole surviving resident and the self-declared final Queen of Charn. She was an extremely powerful sorceress, and was once the most infamous ruler of Narnia. Originally from the World of Charn, she was accidentally brought to the World of Narnia on the day of its creation. Although she was banished to the North by the Great Lion, Aslan, she returned 900 Narnian-years later, and usurped the throne from the original royal family of Narnia” Fur coat – (Edmond) used magic and made him Turkish delights. Used flattery and deception. The Serpent’s temptation - It’s important to note that man was created innocent, not Righteous. Man was given responsibility to serve, glorify, and obey his Creator. This was not the only tree in the garden, this was the only tree man could not eat of. God was very clear on what man’s condition was to obey Him.  Verse 2,3 Eve answers satan here. It’s key to note something; satan attacks Eve. Remember what Peter said;  1 Peter 5:8 8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Satan did not go straight to Adam screaming to eat the fruit. He used the serpent; who goes to Eve first and tricks her into eating the fruit. Notice what Eve said: “Neither shall we touch it” God never said that. (Gen 2:16,17) Genesis 2:16-17 16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Illustration of how satan attacks those weak in knowledge of the Word to confuse and corrupt.  Second thing – He Denies the Word Verse 4 This is a tactic used by the World today. Question – then deny. “No, that’s not what that scripture mean’s. No, that’s not right.”   Last thing – he substitutes his own words Verse 5 Genesis 3:5 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.   Questioning the Word; denying the Word; and then perverting the Word. That is a tactic satan has used and is still using today!   Verse 6 (Quote J Vernon) The Devil’s Devices – 2 Cor 2:9-11 2Co 2:11  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.   Corruption – 1 Cor 5:13 In 1 Corinthians, Paul rebukes the Church at Corinth because they turned a blind eye to gross immorality. There was a case on incest in the Church and they were not dealing with it. Even the Heathens were shocked of the gross immorality. Paul told them in 1 Cor 5:13 to “put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” A member of the Church took his father’s wife, his own step mother. We are given strict instructions in the Bible that we must deal with this sin (Matthew 18:15-17) Matthew 18:15-17 15Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. In Corinth, they just compromised. They let it go on and turned a blind eye. Illustration of Church Discipline and the one extreme of ignoring the sin. Correction – 2 Cor 2:5-10 They obeyed Paul and the man was excommunicated, which was the right thing to do. He was openly living in sin and had no place in the Church. V.5,6 Now, the man has repented and Paul begs the Church to confirm their love to him and forgive him. V. 7-10 Illustration of Church Discipline and the other extreme of not forgiving sin. “For your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ” Paul begs they confirm their love, he then urges them to be forgiving and uses the example that he forgives because of Christ. Jesus Christ died for all sinners. God’s grace is available to all men. It’s God’s will that all men come to repentance 2 Peter 3:9 Illustration of drawing the line and staying with the Bible. Caution – 2 Cor 2:10,11 - Gross immorality in the Church, the sin was dealt with and the man was corrected - The man repented of his sin (turned away) and now asks forgiveness -Paul begs they confirm their love to him and forgive and how they should all forgive one another - - -v.11 “Lest satan should get an advantage”   Jas 3:16  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. -Itching ears 2Ti 4:4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (Today's youth) -Lust, Doubt, Rage Illustration of keeping a country divided (These are all satan’s devices!)   The Devil’s Destruction – 2 Cor 4:1-4 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 1Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; 2But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.   Jesus gives the Light to men The Holy Spirit convicts men It is up to man to respond Rejection of Jesus Christ will send you to hell   Conclusion: The Deception of the enemy - satan decieves, he is the god of lies and deceit. God is the God of truth The Devices of the enemy - satan uses pride,envy,strife,doubt,lust,rage, and fables. God uses truth. God told His nation Israel that no weapon formed against them shall prosper The Destruction of the enemy - satan destroys lives. God can make you whole.   Isa 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.   A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.  

Episode 003 Title:  The Two Tree’s Text:  Genesis 2:8,9; Acts 5:30; 1 Peter 2:24 Theme: Comparing the tree and knowledge of Good and Evil with the Cross of Jesus Christ Genesis 2:8-9 8And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Acts 5:30 30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 1 Peter 2:24 24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. Introduction:  Genesis is a marvelous book; The book of beginnings (origin of heaven, earth, man, woman, marriage, sin, sacrifice, prophecy, human government, etc.) God creates the earth, populates it and destroys it only to re-populate it 4 great events, 4 great people Covers a period of 2,000 years - There is a lot in this book Full of Types / Spiritual illustrations, symbols, and pictures of Jesus Christ and scriptural truth Type – “A divinely appointed illustration of some scriptural truth.” Derived from Greek word “tupos” – impression, stamp, pattern, or form “A type must never be used to teach a doctrine, but only to illustrate a doctrine elsewhere explicitly taught.” – Dr. J. Edwin Hartill A divinely appointed illustration What are some types of Christ in Genesis? The Ark - The Ark is a type of Christ, offering salvation from judgment and destruction. Isaac – promised before he was born, he was offered up as a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah (as a test to Abraham but most importantly a type of Christ) His Father, sends His servent to go fetch Him a Bride after his work as a well digger had been completed. Joseph - despised by his brothers who sold him into slavery for 30 pieces of silver. He was banished into a far country and later forgotten. Eventually he would be exalted to the second highest position in Egypt where he would obtained a Gentile bride and later redeemed the same brothers who had sold him into slavery. Some other types in Genesis: Leah is a type of the Church, and Rachel is a type of Israel. Dr. M.R. DeHaan writes: “Leah represents the Church of the Lord Jesus; Rachel, the nation of Israel. He desired her first, but when He came to present Himself to her nineteen hundred years ago, He did not receive her, but she rejected Him, and now Rachel is barren and despised, and Leah, the Church, is bearing fruit in the millions of the redeemed who are being brought in during this present dispensation. Jacob was a type of Israel, his life was a type of Israel’s history. His whole life he would struggle with others and then he wrestled with God in the Wilderness before his name was changed to Israel. Israel’s history is a struggle with others and a struggle with God. Genesis 2:9; Acts 5:30; 1 Peter 2:24  Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Just after the 6 days of creations and the seventh day of Rest. God’s creation is perfect and He is now creating a home for man. He creates every tree (pleasant to the sight and good for food) and in the midst of the garden there are two trees Tree of life Tree of knowledge of good and evil These tree’s cease to exist so we know very little of them. Let’s focus on the Tree of knowledge of good and evil (we know very little): Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat of it Do not know the fruit Adam was not a puppet; God gave him a choice, and he chose to disobey.  Let’s look over at a tree in the New Testament: Acts 5:30 30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 1 Peter 2:24 24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. Notice in each of these passages, the cross of Calvary is called a “Tree”. As mentioned before, the book of Genesis of full of types, pictures, and scriptural illustrations placed by the Holy Spirit. “This first book in the Word of God is full of typical pictures, prophetic foreshadowings, and dispensational adumbrations, as well as important practical lessons,” - Arthur W. Pink, Gleanings in Genesis  Let’s look at the “Two Tree’s.” The Tree of Knowledge of good and evil and the Cross of Calvary. The Contrast of these two trees: Planting of the Trees Father planted – Genesis 2:8,9 (read verse 8) “Man’s first home was a garden; his final home will be a city. When Adam first opened his eyes to the light of day he looked out upon a scene of matchless beauty and tranquility. The fields were emerald green, the hedgerows ablaze with blossoms, the atmosphere laden with the fragrance of flowers, the forest ringing with joyous song.”  - Dr. John Philipps Just like his final home, man’s first home was perfect. The first home was made by God for unfallen man. God rested in the first 3 verses of this Chapter, not because he was tired, but because His work was perfect. (read verse 9) And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; “Pleasant” (khaw-mad';) primitive root; to delight in: — beauty, greatly beloved, covet, delectable thing, (X great) delight, desire, goodly, lust, (be) pleasant (thing), precious (thing).to desire, covet, take pleasure in, delight in Fallen planted – Matthew 27:35 Matthew 27:32-35 32And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. 33And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, 34They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. 35And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. Matthew 27:40-42 40And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. Cross was two wooden beams used for capital punishment to execute criminals. They pierced the hands and the feet and the cross would be put upright and the victim is left to hang until dead. (death by asphyxiation deprived of oxygen, which can result in unconsciousness or death; suffocation.) This is an awful way to die. It is interesting to note that crucifixion originated with the Persians and was then perfected by the Romans. “The earliest historical record of crucifixion dates to c. 519 BC, when King Darius crucified 3,000 of his political enemies in Babylon. However, Psalm 22 was written hundreds of years before by David as a Messianic Psalm Prophesying the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  Picture of the Trees Fair to Look at – Genesis 2:9; 3:6 Again, this was for unfallen man. The ground had not yet been cursed. These trees were not only everything beautiful but imagine the food that was produced from these tree’s.  Frightening to look at – Isaiah 53:2 Isaiah 53:2 2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. Isaiah 52:14 14As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: Illustration of Naaman. Presenting of the trees Forbidden to eat – Genesis 2:17; 3:3 Free to eat – Psalm 34:8; John 6:35 Psalm 34:8 8O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. John 6:35 35And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 2 Peter 3:9 9The LORD is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Outline: The Two Tree’s The Location of the Tree’s The Garden of Devastation: Genesis 3:6,17 Genesis 3:6 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Genesis 3:17 17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Garden of Eden was a garden of devastation This is where Adam disobeyed God and brought sin unto all mankind It shows our failure (illustration of Hollywood, total depravity) Revelation 5:1-5 1And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. The Garden of Deliverance: John 19:41 John 19:41 41Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. We do not know the exact location, but we know that Christ was crucified in a Garden The first Adam and the Last Adam both died in a Garden 1 Corinthians 15:45 “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” The first Adam brought Death in a Garden, the Second and Final Adam brought life in a Garden. Romans 5:12-21 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Everything mankind ever needed before the fall was right there in the garden of eden. Everything mankind needed after the fall was in the garden of the crucifixion. The Learning of the Tree’s Eden and Calvary both have something in common: They were dark places. Eden is where the perfect man God created willfully disobeyed Him and brought death unto the World. Calvary is where the Son of God manifested in Flesh became sin and died for us. He came to us because we could not go to Him. They both teach us something; that because man disobeyed God, God had to come to man. The Cross, is just as much a tree of knowledge of good and evil as the tree that was planted in the Garden of Eden. The Knowledge of Sin: Gen 3:6,7 Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Mark 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. The Knowledge of Grace: Genesis 3:15 2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our LORD Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ: The Lasting Effects of the Tree’s Two of the greatest events in human history; The Fall of man and the Final sacrifice of sin by the Son of God. Both have had lasting effects that cannot be undone.  1 Timothy 1:15 15This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. The Decision of Disobedience: Genesis 3:6,7 The Decision of Obedience: John 14:6; Matthew 11:28; Romans 10:13 A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.  

Episode 002 Title: “And on the Seventh Day…” Text: Genesis 2:1-7 Theme: The Sabbath originated and creation summarized Key verse: Genesis 2:2 Introduction:  We come to the second Chapter of Genesis where we are introduced to some important subjects: the Sabbath, the garden of Eden, making of woman, and the institution of marriage. Before we get any further let’s turn our attention to an important principle of studying the Bible, the first mention principle. The First mention principle – “that principle by which God indicates in the first mention of a subject, the truth with which that subject stands connected with in the mind of God.” – Dr. J. Edwin Hartill “This is a law we gave long since noted, and have never yet found it to fail. The first occurrence of a word, expression, or utterance, Is the key to its subsequent meaning, or it will be a guide to ascertaining the essential truth connected with it.” – Dr. A.T. Pierson Remember, Genesis is the book of beginnings. There are a lot of first in Genesis. Today, we are going to look at the first seven verses in Chapter two which focus on the Sabbath and a summary of the previous chapter, the creation.   Outline:  Sabbath: v.1-3 The Creator and the Sabbath – v.1-3 Verse 1,2 - It’s important to note two key things in these verses;  God did not command man to rest. God does not give the sabbath as a duty to Adam. He will not give the Sabbath as a duty to man until the book of Exodus (more on that to come.) Genesis 2:1-3 is about God Resting, not man. God is not resting because He is tired or weary, He is resting because His work is finished. The Creation of the entire universe is now complete so God has set apart a day for His Rest. Note: Once sin enters the picture in Genesis Chapter 3 there is nothing else in the Bible regarding God resting. The Bible tells us that the Triune God becomes involved in man’s redemption. Verse 3 – God does two things to the seventh day; “Blessed it” “Sanctified” - set apart, consecrated.   Why? Because He rested from all His work. Rested - shaw-bath'; “to cause to cease, put an end to” The finished work of God was absolutely perfect. “Thus the Heavens and the earth were finished” “‘It is finished!’ the words rang out at the close creation as, on the cross, they rang out again at the close of redemption. There is a great satisfaction in surveying a finished work. God stood back, as it were, to cast an admiring, contented eye over the finished work of His hands.” – Dr. John Phillips We will look back at the finished work of God and this word “Resting”, but before we do let’s look at the Children of Israel and the Sabbath. The Children of Israel and the Sabbath – Exodus 20:8-11 Exodus 20:8-11 8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” God gives this to the Children of Israel, not Adam.  Exodus 31:16,17 “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.”  Nehemiah 9:13,14 tells us the Sabbath was given to Israel Nehemiah 9:13-14 13Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: 14And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: Genesis 3:1-3 is not giving man the Sabbath it is God blessing and setting apart the seventh day because He Rested from His creation. The Christian and the Sabbath (How does this apply to the Christian?)  The Sabbath is a symbol of the believer’s Rest in Christ - Hebrews 4 Hebrews 4:4-10 4For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. 6Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: 7Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.  When God finished His work, He looked at it and saw that it was perfect, so He rested. Romans 5:1 1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ: When Jesus died on the cross, He paid it all. He did all the work. When we believed and trusted in Him He saved us. It’s all been done. We can now rest in Him because we have been declared Righteous in the sight of God through the Blood of Jesus Christ. “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe, sin had left the crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” The Christian does not need to keep the Sabbath because of our Liberty in Christ.  Colossians 2:9-17 King James Version (KJV) 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”  Jesus kept the Sabbath, why?  Matthew 5:17 17Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. He fulfilled the law and came to redeem His people from the penalty and bondage of sin. Summary: v.4-7 In verses 4-7 we are given a recap of creation, a summary if you will.  The Center of Creation v.4 Verse 4 – Notice something in this verse. In Chapter 1, we saw the name “God” 32 times in 31 verses. The Hebrew name “Elohim” which we talked about being plural. (Trinity) The Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. A plural noun that is almost always used with a singular verb or adjective. Three distinct persons but one God. In verse 1 we see the first mention of LORD. (Jehova God) Jehova “A name for God used in the O.T. It refers to God as the One who keeps covenant and mercy with His People.” – Dr. David Cloud “Here in the closing review of creation, the name Elohim is connected with the name Jehova (LORD). Jehova is the same God, only viewed as being in covenant relation with those He has created. The first appearance of the name Jehova follows the creation of man, for pre-eminently it is God’s redemptive name. As Elohim, He tossed the worlds into space; as Jeohva, He plans man’s redemption before ever He fashioned Adam’s clay.” – Dr. John Phillips Ephesians 1:4-5 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, God planned man’s Salvation before the creation. This does NOT mean God chooses who will go to Heaven and who will go to Hell. 2 Peter 3:9 9The LORD is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God is omniscient, He knows EVERYTHING. He knows who and who will not come unto Him, but it is His will that ALL be saved. John 3:16 “Predestination is based on God’s forknowledge and has more to do with what the Christian is predestined TO than who is predestined.” – Dr. David Cloud 1 Peter 1:2 2Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Romans 8:29 29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (before the foundation of the world….) Notice, in chapter 1 “God created the Heaven and the earth” but yet in chapter 2 it’s “The LORD God made the earth and the heavens.”  We are the center of the universe here. God, before the foundations of the World planned our salvation. The Condition of Creation v.5,6 Verse 5,6 – it was a much different time then. Before the flood, men and women lived to be very old. There was no rain, there were dinosaurs. There is a lot of questions surrounding this issue, but remember in the story of creation, man is the center. God is preparing a home for man to live in and have dominion over. Psalms 53:1 King James Version (KJV) The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. The Conclusion of Creation v. 7 Man came from the ground. The same 15 or 16 elements that make up our bodies are found in the ground. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14 A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.  

Episode 001 Title:  The Six days of creation Text: Genesis 1:1-31 Theme: Six Days of creation Key verse: Gen 1:1 Introduction:  • Who?   o God (elohiym) plural 1. God the Father 2. God the Son 3. God the Holy Spirit 1 John 5:7 7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. Genesis 1:26 - And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. o 1 God, 3 distinct persons • What?  o Creation of “the heaven” and the earth • Where?   o The entire universe • 1 Chronicles 29:11 - Thine, O LORD, [is] the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all [that is] in the heaven and in the earth [is thine]; thine [is] the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. • Colossians 1:16 - For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: • When?  o Before 4,000 B.C. • How?   o Created  1. bara (Hebrew) to create, shape, form 2. ex nihilo (latin) out of nothing. • Isaiah 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? 1. Google "earth map" landscape picture of plant earth 2. 70% of our earth is the ocean 3. estimated 50 to 80% of life on planet earth is underwater 4. Average depth of the ocean is 12,000 ft. light only goes to 330 ft. 5. longest mtn range is not the Andes mtns, its the Mid-Atlantic Ridge 6. The smithsonian does not have the world's most treasure and artifcats, they are underwater 7. We've explored an estimated 5% of the ocean 8. As the heathen sits in the seat of the scornful mocking our God, let's remember that the large body of water we are limited to exploring and understanding (70% of our world) can be measured in the palm of God's hand. Psalm 19:1 1To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Notice, in Psalm 19:1 “His Handywork” o Handywork – work 189 times, needlework 5 times, acts 4 times, labour 4 times, doing 4 times, art 3 times, deed 3 times, misc 23 times; o In other words, God’s creation was his finger work, His Lightwork • How much?  By way of Introduction, 3 things about Genesis 1 A. Accurate Doesn’t Contradict- Rom 1:20 Romans 1:20 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: All that is written in God’s Holy Word shows Him as our Creator. There is nothing in bible that disproves creation, it always points back to it. Men change, God doesn’t. Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.  The Bible is written on the foundation that God created the earth. There is no contradiction. As we read the Bible it shows God as our Divine Creator. 1. Power of God 2. Plan of God 3. Peace of God- Phil 4:7 “and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” All of this reflects on God as our creator. - Isa 64:8  But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.  Doesn’t Confuse- 1 Cor 14:33 1 CORINTHIANS 14:33 KJV "For God is not the authour of confusion, but of peace, as in all Churches of the Saints." Gen 1 is simple to understand, we have a divine creator, we are His creation. You don’t have to be a math matician, have a PHD to understand Gen 1. When we believe we can relate to a child like faith. We may have some things we do not fully understand, or comprehend, but God is not the author of confusion. We may not understand all of Gen 1 but it will not confuse.   Evolution can confuse Doesn’t Corrupt- Ps 31:3 Psalm 31:3 3For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. If we stand for the creation in Gen 1 we acknowledge God as our creator. When we read His Word and live His Word that is life that doesn’t lead to corruption. John 14:6. The Bible tells us the only way to heaven. What does Evolution do? Or Athiesm (O’hare) Hinduism, Muslims? Etc..If you take out Gen 1, then you take out God as our Creator and ruler. Take that out, then what is our base for morals? What is right, what is wrong? B. Attacked Truth-  Why is it attacked? Gen 1:1, This verse is probably the most attacked of the entire chapter. If God created us then what He says in His word is true. We are born sinners, Jesus is the only way, Hell is real,etc.. this is why Gen 1 is so attacked!  o Athiesm(no God)/ Agnosticism(is there a God?)- His existence o Polytheism(Many gods)- Declaring Himself one o C.Panthiesm(all is God)- By separating Himself from matter How is it attacked?  Man-Evolution, Athiesm The Devl- Gen 3:4 “And the serpant said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.” Time- Gen 1:5,8,13,19,22,31. There are a lot of theories about Gen 1. First of all Genesis one is NOT A THEORY! The Bible is very straight forward about what happened in the Beginning. There were 6 literal days! Many people will attack this chapter and add to it. (not much has changed) 1. Day age theory- That the days mentioned are not 24 hour days but as ages/ periods of time 2. Gap theory- Between vs. 1 and 2 there is a gap of countless ages ( fit for man) 3. Revelation theory- Believe that days are not days of creation but of revelation to Moses  4. The Truth a. Supernatural- Ex Nihilo- out of nothing b. Sudden- no build up, no delay, no trial, no error, no process, no gradual development c. Superior- animals adapted to environment and have all that is necessary to surive and live. d. Superficial Appearance of Age- Creation was fully complete and functioned from the beginning. God supernaturally created a full grown earth in 6 literal days. The earth did not need time or billions of years to do certain things.  *when you believe these theories man have came up with it helps them satisfy their opinion of long period of time to form the earth. Trinity- Gen 1:26 The Trinity- God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Another reason why Gen 1 is attacked is because of the Trinity. The Trinity is the great three in one. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This is the great three in One. This shows Jesus Christ as God almighty. *illustration of how that is attacked* ( “lets weigh the evidence- Barry Burton” 1 Tim3:16) A lot of false religions believe in Jesus but they do not proclaim Him as Lord. Rev 1:8 C. Absolute Absolute- Perfect in quality or nature; complete. 2. Not mixed; pure. See Synonyms at pure. 3. a. Not limited by restrictions or exceptions Outline:  I. Day 1- vs. 1-5 • Heaven • 1st Heaven – clouds • 2nd Heaven – Outer Space • 3rd Heaven – Throne of God  • Earth • Was empty, no form (the way God created it) • Light – physical light (v.14-19 sun moon and stars but those are light sources) II. Day 2- vs. 6-8 • Firmament and waters • Waters separated i. Oceans rivers and lakes ii. Atmosphere and vapor III. Day 3- vs. 9-13-dry land, plant life IV. Day 4- vs. 14-19- sun, moon, stars Job 38:7 suggest God created angels on this day Job 38:7 7When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? V. Day 5- vs. 20-23- fowl and fish VI. Day 6- vs. 24-31- Animals and Man o Man is the highlight o Man has dominion over the earth Conclusion:  I. No Authority Romans 13:1 - Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Colossians 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”  II. No Absolute Absolute - a value or principle that is regarded as universally valid or that may be viewed without relation to other things: (good vs evil) Romans 12:21 - Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Illustration of what people do by defining good and evil (homosexuality, etc) Isaiah 5:20 - Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! III. No Accuracy (truth) Bible 2 Timothy 3:16King James Version (KJV)16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: A special thank you to my Friend Michael Barnette for the song "All things new" and to my friend Dave Compton for the opening remarks.    

“Welcome to the Preach the Word Podcast—a podcast dedicated to helping you know God, and make Him known to others. I’m your host, Dean Carmichael.   This show has been around since 2011, appearing in various formats, including radio, online, and eventually being published as a Podcast. I am now revamping the show, beginning right at the foundation—Genesis. The Goal is to revise, remaster, and republish the Podcast, allowing us to go through the Bible in Chronological order.   Each episode, we’ll walk through Scripture, drawing out timeless truth, discipleship, and encouragement for daily living.   If you’re ready to go deeper in God’s Word and be built up in your faith, this Podcast is for you.   Join me, as I preach the Word, with the desire to help you learn more about God and make Him known to others.”