A Righteous Request
A portion of Bishop Billy Ferg's message this week is that we must conduct ourserlves in a righteous manner if we are in covenant with God (Genesis 14). If we conduct ourselves righteously, and have a heart after God, God will then have a man (or woman) in the earth that He can fellowhip with and direct:
(Genesis 14) After his [Abram's] return from the defeat and slaying of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh, that is, the King's Valley. 18Melchizedek king of Salem [later called Jerusalem] brought out bread and wine [for their nourishment]; he was the priest of God Most High, 19And he blessed him and said, Blessed (favored with blessings, made blissful, joyful) be Abram by God Most High, Possessor and Maker of heaven and earth, 20And blessed, praised, and glorified be God Most High, Who has given your foes into your hand! And [Abram] gave him a tenth of all [he had taken].(A) 21And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the persons and keep the goods for yourself. 22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand and sworn to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor and Maker of heaven and earth, 23That I would not take a thread or a shoelace or anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich.
Abram made and kept his vow to the Lord. He was a changed man, a covenant man - now in covenant with God, looking to God for his direction and provision. He didn't want the spoils of war to be seen as his source, instead he viewed God as his source. Abrams wisdom and prudence resulted in God appearing to him in a vision.
(Genesis 15): AFTER THESE things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your [a]Shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great". The Lord goes on to promise him a son and that all nations will be blessed through his Seed; which would be the Messiah.
Covenant requires a cutting away from the world and living always before God, a coming to God. In last weeks blog, we saw that when God first broke covenant with Abram in Genesis 17, He spoke about what Abram's part would be, "live habitually before Me and be perfect (blameless, wholehearted, complete). According to the Word (Genesis 17), this is our requirement of the covenant, and would then be required if we are to obtain the promises of the covenant. Through the infilling of the Holy Spirit and committment to Christ, the perfecting of the saints (thats us) is something we can offer God. It also takes God's grace for us to move toward perfection, even as we stumble. But we aim for the mark of Christ (perfection) not for the nature of the old man (sin). And as we continue on we go from glory to glory, as sin totally dies within us.
(Genesis 14) After his [Abram's] return from the defeat and slaying of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh, that is, the King's Valley. 18Melchizedek king of Salem [later called Jerusalem] brought out bread and wine [for their nourishment]; he was the priest of God Most High, 19And he blessed him and said, Blessed (favored with blessings, made blissful, joyful) be Abram by God Most High, Possessor and Maker of heaven and earth, 20And blessed, praised, and glorified be God Most High, Who has given your foes into your hand! And [Abram] gave him a tenth of all [he had taken].(A) 21And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the persons and keep the goods for yourself. 22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand and sworn to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor and Maker of heaven and earth, 23That I would not take a thread or a shoelace or anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich.
Abram made and kept his vow to the Lord. He was a changed man, a covenant man - now in covenant with God, looking to God for his direction and provision. He didn't want the spoils of war to be seen as his source, instead he viewed God as his source. Abrams wisdom and prudence resulted in God appearing to him in a vision.
(Genesis 15): AFTER THESE things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your [a]Shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great". The Lord goes on to promise him a son and that all nations will be blessed through his Seed; which would be the Messiah.
Covenant requires a cutting away from the world and living always before God, a coming to God. In last weeks blog, we saw that when God first broke covenant with Abram in Genesis 17, He spoke about what Abram's part would be, "live habitually before Me and be perfect (blameless, wholehearted, complete). According to the Word (Genesis 17), this is our requirement of the covenant, and would then be required if we are to obtain the promises of the covenant. Through the infilling of the Holy Spirit and committment to Christ, the perfecting of the saints (thats us) is something we can offer God. It also takes God's grace for us to move toward perfection, even as we stumble. But we aim for the mark of Christ (perfection) not for the nature of the old man (sin). And as we continue on we go from glory to glory, as sin totally dies within us.
posted by Living Faith International Church | 9:05 AM
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