Abraham Preaches the Gospel

When Jesus walked this earth, He was a man but He was also God.   I sometimes  try to wrap my head around what it would have been like to literally sit at the 'human feet'  of God and hear the words of Truth flow from His mouth.
But we do have some of His words recorded for us and I think today maybe they are so familiar to us we take them for granted.
I'd like to draw your attention to something Jesus said and then 'unzip the file'  and reveal the depth and fullness of what He was teaching.
Several times, as in John 5:39,  Jesus makes reference to the fact that the Old Testament testifies and points to Himself  -  the gospel itself is hidden in the story accounts and in the prophetic words of the prophets.
One very direct reference is in Gal. 3:8 that states the gospel was preached to Abraham and also therefore reveals the gospel through Abraham to us.   Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness -- faith being the foundation of the New Covenant--  and because He is called the father of all who live by faith, all those who live by faith are blessed with him. (Rom 4:16)

But.. you may be puzzled, wondering .....   HOW does the gospel in/through Abraham testify of Jesus and the New Covenant or the church ?

Let me show you .....  

Turning back to Genesis 14 we have the story of Abraham and Melchizedek.  
The background setting is that in those days there were four  kings who joined together to make war against the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The four kings prevailed in battle against the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. Seeing that they were beaten, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled for their lives leaving their cities vulnerable.  
The four kings invaded the cities, took captive  the  inhabitants along with all their possessions and departed, with prisoners and plunder, back to their own countries.
 At that time one of the  residents of Sodom was  Lot, Abraham's nephew, and he too with all he possessed was carried off into captivity.
One who managed to escape undetected,  had connections with Abraham and came running to tell him what had befallen his nephew.
Abraham immediately armed his servants and  intent on a full rescue mission  pursued the captors.
Abraham won the battle. He freed Lot along with all the other people taken in the raid and also retrieved all the stolen goods.
On his way back to Sodom , he encountered Melchizedek, the King of Salem. Melchizedek came with bread and wine and a blessing for Abraham.
 Abraham gave to Melchizedek a tenth of the spoil that he had retrieved from the enemy.

The grateful king of Sodom, perhaps ashamed of his cowardly flight in the face of defeat, then also came  to Abraham and as a reward offered him all the spoil, if he would but allow the people to return to their homes.
Abraham refused any gifts saying that he would keep nothing for himself, it was not his.  Therefore the people and their goods were returned to the cities from where they had been so violently taken.

Hmmm...   doesn't sound like the gospel story ?    Come back tomorrow for part two of my post.  

Looking Good From a Distance

Sunday morning I came out of the house, ready for church and saw one of our neighbours  washing/polishing his truck .. It was gleaming  white in the morning sun.

I greeted him and asked...   "Didn't you just wash your truck yesterday?"
He replied, "Yes, but I wasn't quite finished and missed a few spots !"
I called back .. "It looks perfect to me !"
His response... "Yes, it looks good from a distance!"
I quipped , "That's how most people see it !"
He smiled. "True!"

I immediately realized what a great analogy this was.  A sermon in a short  spontaneous conversation.

I thought of how we are so careful in how we present the part of us that others see. We fuss with our hair, our clothes, keeping  our words and facial expressions kind and friendly.   We try to please those around us, doing the things expected of us, performing the good deeds that will be favourably received and duly admired.

At a distance ... we look good !

But what about if someone looks closer ...  all the way into the heart that is carefully concealed from other people who are impressed with their view of us.   But there is One who is not distracted by the outward, nor does He judge by how we look at a distance.  He examines our heart - close up!

God is not concerned with how we look at a distance - in fact the outward isn't His concern at all  - He desires our 'heart' beauty!  

  Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel.... but let it be the hidden person of the heart... 

1Pe 3:3,4  

God is the examiner of the heart ... the One who desires to 'clean' what others may not see -- what we ourselves may ignore or justify!  

  Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. 

Ps. 26:2 

There really isn't anything God misses ... we have no 'heart spots' we can hide from Him. 

  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Heb 4:12 

What does God require of us ? 

"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart...." 

Duet. 10:12

  

What is the best spot remover for our hearts ?  

  How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.

   Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. 

Ps. 119:9,11

May we allow our heart to be  'cleaned/polished'  in such a way that we can say to the Lord , 

as did  King David .. 

 You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.  

Ps. 17:3

Can You Say It ?

The above photo is my patio corner flower garden.   I love  the profusion of blossoms and colour.   Every flower is true to its kind  --  easily recognized and named.

There is an old testament battle, the  account  of which contains a detail I enjoy because it is one of clever espionage.

In Judges 9 we have the story of a sibling quarrel between the Ephramites and the Gileadites that became so heated they went to battle against each other.
The Gileadites won  and gained control of the fords of the Jordon River  that escaped Ephramites needed to cross  to return safely home.
When an Ephramite would approach the ford the Gileadites would stop him and ask .. "Are you an Ephramite?"    and if the one desiring to cross would say 'No, I am not!'   then the Gileadites would demand.. "Say, Shibboleth!"  and if the man said .. "Sibboleth!"  he was known to indeed be a Ephramite because the Ephramites could not pronounce the 'sh'!
Caught in his lie, he was revealed as the enemy.

I heard a modern version of that story yesterday morning.  During WW II the Americans had a similar way of discerning who was a spy among their soldiers.  A suspected spy would be called into the commander's office and told ... "Sing the second verse of the Star Spangled Banner!"  If the soldier clicked his heels in a smart salute and a quick 'Yes, Sir'  followed by a correct rendition of the second stanza of the national anthem, he was immediately arrested as a spy !    Why?  No American knows the second stanza!

We have another example in I John 4:2b,3

"Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. "  

Here we are told how we can know on whose side someone is ..  friend or foe!  

Someone who is of God,  will confess who Jesus is !   They will declare Jesus to be God. They will know His character and will 'confess' it in their own life -- their words, their actions will reflect the image of the One they believe in.  If they cannot, we know that they are not of God but of the enemy!   

"He that says (confesses)  he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." 

I John 2:6 

 We too,  have an enemy who often stands at the crossings of our life. He stands in the way of those who pass by demanding of them ... "Can you say Jesus, confessing Him to be the Lord of your life?"    

The answer a person gives will either cause Satan to sneer with glee or hang his head and flee! 

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you !" 

James 4:7 

The Ultimate Gift

Though I love to read and read many books, I tend to recommend only those books that stand out to me as exceptional.   

A book that makes you think, one you read and it stays with you,  one that has the power to impact and change your  life -- those are  marks of an exceptional book.  

  I read one such a book yesterday that I wish you would read.   

It is not just good on a personal level but is one that you would want to share with your family. 

It could be a great teaching tool for your children/grandchildren.   

The book is entitled,

 "The Ultimate Gift" 

the author, Jim Stovall 

The book is what I call a teaching novel,  one that entertains as it inspires.   The plot is a simple one, but serves as the backdrop for the impartation of  wisdom.    

The story begins with a lawyer being advised of the death of a client who was also a dear friend.  

Red Stevens put a great deal of thought into his will and how his family would inherit his amassed wealth. 

His family, accustomed to living coddled in the lap of luxury have become greedy and self centred with a prevailing  attitude of entitlement. 

Out of  all his family members, there was only one - a great nephew - who had the spark that Red Stevens recognized as something that could save the young man from personal ruin  if it was just fanned into flame.  But how could he do that when his time on earth was almost over.  

Very creatively,   he devised a plan and called it The Ultimate Gift.   Jason, the nephew, would not be given his inheritance until and unless he fulfilled the conditions dictated by his uncle. 

I am never a plot spoiler ... smile...  so if you want to know what the gift was and if Jason fulfilled the conditions... and you want to know how this book will impact you,  you'll just have to read it yourself. 

If you have an e-reader,  its easy -  the book is offered on Amazon Kindle  for $2.47.  

Otherwise it can be ordered online or purchased from your nearest book store.    

If you have already read it ,  or when you do, I would love to hear what you think of it.