TEXT: Genesis 12:1-3
1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
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:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
— PRAYER —
How to Hope: Lessons from the Jews and Their Messianic Expectation, Part 4
Robert Deffinbaugh said, “There are various ways in which the nation of Israel would prove to be a blessing to the nations, but our interest is in the blessing which would come to the nations through the Messiah, who is now announced in this passage to come through the offspring of Abraham. Paul understood and taught that when God used the term ‘seed’ in the Abrahamic Covenant, He was speaking specifically of the one ‘Seed,’ the Messiah. Writing in Galatians 3:16, Paul declares that the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘and to seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘and to your Seed,’ that is Christ.”
In our last message, we looked at:
1) the Command that God gave to Abram: to leave his family and go to a new land
2) the Covenant that God gave to Abram: that he would be the father of a great nation
3) the Conclusion of God’s Covenant with Abram: that through Abram’s nation, a Seed would come who would bless all nations.
That might seem like the beginning and end of God’s plan for Abraham. However, as we look at this passage once more, we will see that it is actually a double-sided coin of messianic expectation. Let’s look at three ways God’s dealings with Abraham are a foreshadowing of His dealings with the world through the Messiah.
First, just as God Called Abram to leave his family and society, through Christ, God calls sinners to repentance. When Abram was commanded to go to a new land, he was not just leaving behind his family; he was leaving behind the pagan environment in which he was raised. Joshua 24:2 tells us that Abram and his father worshipped idols. Historians tell us that Abram was born and raised in Ur of the Chaldees. The people of that region, which is in modern-day Iraq, worshipped the moon god, Nanna. Nanna was regarded as having authority over the heavens and the life cycle on earth. When Abram left his home, he also left behind the darkness of worshipping pagan gods.
Likewise, when the Messiah came, He called people out of the darkness of false religious practices. In Matthew 4:16, the apostle quotes from the prophet Isaiah to describe Jesus’ ministry: “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” It was not easy for Abram to leave behind his old religious ways, and it is not easy for people to leave behind their old religious ways today. But Abram’s decision to follow God foreshadowed the decisions of millions who would choose to follow the Messiah thousands of years later.
Second, just as God made a Covenant with Abram, God made a New Covenant with a new people through the Messiah. And, just as the Abrahamic Covenant involved the creation of a new nation, the New Covenant under the Messiah involves the creation of a new nation as well. First Peter 2:9 tells the beneficiaries of this New Covenant, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people…”
Third, just as the Conclusion of God’s Covenant with Abram entailed a blessing for all nations, the Conclusion of the Messiah’s New Covenant also entails a blessing in which all nations can partake of. According to First Peter 2:9, the purpose of the Church is to “shew forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvellous light.” The Church shines the light of Christ into the world that people “of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues” can receive the blessing of the New Covenant. Galatians 3:13-14 states, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law… that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ.”
Wrapped up in God’s Covenant with Abram is the promise of the Messiah’s New Covenant with people from every nation who would respond to the call to repentance and salvation. When we, as believers today, see the fullness of God’s plan for Abram and his descendants, we gain confidence in God’s plan for the Church today leading to the Second Coming of Christ.
Julian Jordan wrote:
My hope is still in Jesus,
Tho’ prone I am to sin;
My heart has been His dwelling
Since first He entered in;
Tho’ often, far too often,
Unworthy of His name,
My hope is still in Jesus,
His love is still the same.
Thy name to me is dearer,
Than any name I know,
A charm it is, a blessing,
Wherever I may go;
Thy suffering and Thy sorrow,
I seem to see again;
My heart is filled with gladness,
Whenever I hear Thy name.
My hope is still in Jesus,
And shall be to the end;
None else is there to help me,
None other can defend;
My hope is still in Jesus,
‘Twas planted long ago,
My hope is still in Jesus,
And O I love Him so.
—–
Now, if you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, I urge you to trust in Him because He is coming again and you do not want to be left behind. Here is how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and the consequences of sin.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.” Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
The Gospel Light Minute X 