GIFTS – PART NINE
Sunday – December 15, 2019, Kislev 17, 5780
Greetings precious and wonderful friends and partners of this Ministry and The Three Minute Word blog. Also, welcome back to this illuminating and empowering weekly study titled “Gifts”. Each of you are loved, appreciated, and prayed for each day. If you are reading this on Facebook please take a moment to hit the “love” and “share” buttons to encourage us and expand the reach of the wonderful news of Jesus the Christ. As you will recall I am talking about the first and essential gift of God available to all which is salvation. It is of course a wonderful gift that we even get to the point that salvation is an option for us. The devil would like to kill us all at the get go (before birth).
From the Day of Sin and Death in the Garden of Eden man desperately needed a Savior. Sin brought the ravages of the curse (polar opposite of the blessing) and death to the spirit, soul, and body of mankind. God provided a way back to eternal life from eternal death first by the innocent blood of animals until the sinless One with eternal life could take our death and give us His life. Jesus took our sin (unrighteousness) and gave us His righteousness restoring our standing with the Father, grafting us back into the family of God. Oh, what a Savior! Something that is vital for us to understand is that the sacrifice of Christ, the shedding of that precious Blood, and the laying down of that life did not just return us to the state or level of Adam but to a much better, a much higher level. We are no longer subject to the law of sin and death.
Genesis 2:17 (KJV)
17 But 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.
This is the law of sin and death. The sin is violating the Word of God, and the death is first of the spirit man and next the physical body initiated by the corruption of the soul (mind). But Christ Jesus came and we are free of the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:2 (KJV)
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
When we sin, intentional or ignorantly we do not instantly die spiritually as did Adam and Eve on that awful day in the Garden of Eden. We have a safety net and His name is Jesus. Now, let’s get back to this wonderfully precious (beyond all cost) trail of Blood that takes us from the Garden on the Day of Sin and Death to the Mercy Seat of Heaven following the Resurrection of Christ Jesus. I will pick up with Genesis chapter twenty-two which is perhaps the most pivotal chapter of the Bible.
Genesis 22:1-2 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
Abraham has entered into a Blood Covenant with God and God with Abraham but as you will recall a Covenant was entered simultaneously with the Word (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. We can only assess the strength of love and faith by the tests they can withstand. The word translated as “tempt” in verse one above is best translated “prove”. In order for God to send His only Son that He loves into the earth for sacrifice Abraham must pass this test, the Blood Covenant between them must stand, be proven as unshakeable. God sends Abraham and Isaac to the very spot where Jesus will be sacrificed some two thousand years later. Now, let’s review Abraham’s response to this command from God.
Genesis 22:3-4 (KJV)
3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
Abraham gets up early the next day and leaves for the place God told him of. Wow! As we look at our own lives and our responsiveness to the Word of God, or the voice of God, have we had an immediate response? I can tell you that I for one have not always responded immediately. When we delay, we may see some of the effects of our rebellion in our lives, yes rebellion, but only eternity will tell the suffering of others even peoples lost for eternity to Hell due to our lack of trust, love, obedience. You may think I am being a little or a lot hard but look at the mess Adam and Eve created with one sin. Do we somehow think that our sins are any less significant? It cost God the highest price possible to pay for all of our sin and redeem mankind. Let’s get a grip, sin is extraordinarily awful and destructive not just to us but others.
As I finish for today and we examine verse four above notice that they arrive at Mount Moriah on the third day. As we think about that let’s combine it with the following verse and we will pick up here in two weeks. Next Sunday I will be discussing the Jewish Feast of Chanukah.
Hebrews 11:17-19 (KJV)
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Abraham considered Isaac dead on the day that God spoke with him about the sacrifice and he had faith that God would raise him from the dead. Some two thousand years later the Father will raise Jesus from the dead on the third day and on this third day Isaac will be spared death and a scapegoat sacrificed in his place.
Until our next publication, as a Bible Teacher and Prophetic Voice I speak this blessing over each and every one of you, receive it, believe it, and speak over yourself and your family by faith in Jesus name!
Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)
24 The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;
26 The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
PRAYERS AND QUESTIONS – please, anytime you have an issue that you want me, this ministry to pray for you, a person you love or a situation contact me. Accordingly, if you should have a question about the Bible, please do not hesitate to ask it.
PARTNERSHIP AND GIVING – Those of you who are not Partners of this Ministry and you find this ministry to be of value to you and perhaps others with whom you share it, we ask you to consider becoming Partners. A Partner is one who prays for the Ministry on a regular basis and contributes to the Ministry on a regular basis (monthly, quarterly, annually). Thank you and may the Lord be pleased with your decision.
CONTACT E-MAIL: pastordavidwood@gmail.com
BLOG: https://awakeariseandtriumphministries.org
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/awakearisetriumphministries
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/PastorDavidWood
MAILING ADDRESS: 10 Village Green Circle, Oakland, Maine 04963
MY BOOKS: https://awakeariseandtriumphministries.org/shop/
