christmas - god is love

Jn 3:16 

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  

1 Jn 4:16a, 19

16a  And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love

19  We love Him because He first loved us. 

LOVE IS THE PROOF

1 Jn 4:7-10 

7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 

8  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 

9  In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 

10  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (appeased God’s wrath) for our sins. 

LOVE SHOULD BE OUR ONLY DEBT

1 Jn 4:11 

11  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought (opheilō - owe, debtor) to love one another. 

Rom 13:8 

8 Owe (opheilō ) no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 

PERFECTION IS LOVING WITH GOD’S LOVE

1 Jn 4:12-21 

12  No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

13  By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 

14  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 

15  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 

16  And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 

17  Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 

18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love (mature, complete) casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 

19  We love Him because He first loved us. 

20  If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 

21  And this commandment we have from Him; that he who loves God must love his brother also. 

Mk 12:30-31 

30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. 

31  And the second, like it, is this: 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.

Jn 15:12-13 

12  This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 

13   Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. 

1 Cor 13:1-8 (New International Readers Version)

1  Suppose I speak in the languages of human beings and of angels. If I don't have love, I am only a loud gong or a noisy cymbal. 

2  Suppose I have the gift of prophecy. Suppose I can understand all the secret things of God and know everything about him. And suppose I have enough faith to move mountains. If I don't have love, I am nothing at all. 

3  Suppose I give everything I have to poor people. And suppose I give my body to be burned. If I don't have love, I get nothing at all. 

4  Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not want what belongs to others (envy). It does not brag. It is not proud. 

5  It is not rude. It does not look out for its own interests. It does not easily become angry. It does not keep track of other people's wrongs. 

6  Love is not happy with evil. But it is full of joy when the truth is spoken. 

7  It always protects (covers). It always trusts. It always hopes. It never gives up. 

8  Love never fails. 

Eph 4:32 

32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. 

Phil 1:9 

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment 

Heb 10:24 

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works

Jn 1:4-5

4   In Him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. 

5   And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (lay hold of it, take possession of it). 

Is 60:2a

2a   For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people

IT ALL BEGAN WITH LIGHT

Gen 1:3 

3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 

Ps 27:1a 

1a The LORD is my light and my salvation

Ps 36:9b 

9b In Your light we see light.  

GOD IS LIGHT – DARKNESS IS SEPARATE FROM GOD AND OPPOSED TO GOD

1 Jn 1:5

5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

The darkness arises from error, ignorance, disobedience, willful blindness, and rebellion. Darkness is an evil system absolutely opposed to the light… basically everything earthly or demonic that is at enmity with God.

The New Testament especially uses the word in a metaphorical sense of ignorance of divine truth, man’s sinful nature, total absence of light, and a lack of spiritual perception.

2 Cor 4:3 -4 

3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 

4  whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 

2 Cor 11:14 

14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

Eph 6:12 

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

GOD FORETOLD THAT HIS CHILDREN WOULD BE LIGHT

Is 60:1-4

1 Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. 

2   For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. 

3   The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 

4   Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. 

Hab 2:14

14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 

JESUS IS THE LIGHT

Jn 1:4-5

4   In Him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. 

5   And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (lay hold of it, take possession of it). 

Mat 4:16 

16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.

Lk 1:78-79 

78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring (rising of light) from on high has visited us; 

79  To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.

Lk 2:32 

32 A light (Jesus) to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.

Jn 8:12 

12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." 

MANY PREFER DARKNESS

Jn 3:19-20

19  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 

1 Jn 1:5-7

5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 

6  If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 

7  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Rom 1:18-21 

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 

19  because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 

20  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 

21  because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

Mat 25:30 

30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

2 Pet 2:17 

17 These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. 

JESUS MAKES US TO BE LIGHT

Jn 17:22

22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one

Matt 5:14-16

14  You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 

15  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 

16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 

Phil 2:15

15  that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world

2 Cor 4:6

6  For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

Col 1:13

13  He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love

1 Thes 5:5

5  You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor darkness.

Eph 5:8

8   For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 

Isaac is listed in the genealogies from Adam to Jesus (Lk 3:23-38).

FAITH CANNOT BE CONCEIVED BY THE FLESH

Gen 17:15-21

15  Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 

16  And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her." 

17  Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a  man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" 

18  And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!" 

19  Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 

20  And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 

21  But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year." 

Rom 9:6-8 

6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 

7  nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "in Isaac your seed shall be called." 

8  That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

FAITH COMES BY HEARING GOD

Gen 26:1-5
1 There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.

2 Then the LORD appeared to him and said: "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.

3 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;

5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws."

Gen 26:24-25 

24 And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham's sake." 

25  So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well.

Lk 4:4 

4 But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.'"

Rom 10:17 

4 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  

LIVING BY FAITH TODAY

Rom 8:1-17 

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 

2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 

3  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 

4  that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 

5  For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 

6  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 

8  So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 

9  But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 

10  And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 

11  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 

12  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 

13  For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 

14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 

15  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." 

16  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 

17  and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 

LIVING BY FAITH WHILE LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Rom 8:18-25 

18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 

19  For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 

20  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but of Him who subjected it in hope; 

21  because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 

22  For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 

23  Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 

24  For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 

25  But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. 

LIVING BY FAITH – PRAYING ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD

Rom 8:26-27 

26  Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 

27  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 

LIVING BY FAITH BECAUSE WE ARE ONE WITH CHRIST

Rom 8:28-39 

28  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

29  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 

30  Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 

31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

32  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 

33  Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 

34  Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 

35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

36  As it is written: "for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 

37  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

38  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 

39  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.   

Mat 1:1 

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham

Mat 1:17 

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations. 

FAITH WILL ALWAYS BE TESTED

Gen 22:1-2

1  Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 

2  Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."  (This is where the future Temple was built)

In Abraham’s time the religious custom of human sacrifice prevailed among the peoples of the land. God tested Abraham’s faith with something that sounds horrible to our ears. The command to sacrifice Isaac, in the year 2100 B.C., would not have suggested anything outrageous or abominable, as it does to our minds. The command for Abraham to sacrifice his son corresponded to the religious instinct to offer up his best and highest.

I asked Roger Cotton his thoughts on this subject… "Rick, I agree it is difficult. Yes, the way I have understood it is that in that day, Abraham would not have seen it to be a moral problem for God to ask it of him. It certainly was the ultimate test of his faith. However, it is clear that God never intended for it to be carried out." 

Blessings, Roger

ABRAHAM’S SACRIFICE PREFIGURES GOD’S FUTURE SACRIFICE OF HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON

Rom 8:32 

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  

FAITH REQUIRES OBEDIENCE

Gen 22:3-14

3  So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 

4  Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. 

5  And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you." 

6  So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 

7  But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 

8  And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together. 

9  Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 

10  And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 

11  But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." 

12  And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." 

13  Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 

14  And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide (Yehôvâh-Yir'eh – Jehovah-Jireh); as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided." 

Heb 11:17-19 

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 

18  of whom it was said, "in Isaac your seed shall be called," 

19  concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. (In Abraham’s heart he had already offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God).

RIGHTEOUSNESS (RIGHT-NESS) IS OBDEYING GOD WITH FAITH

James 2:20-23 

20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 

21  Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 

22  Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 

23  And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. 

Gal 3:6-9

6  just as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

7  Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 

8  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." 

9  So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. 

THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM

Gen 22:15-18

15  Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 

16  and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son — 

17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 

18  In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

Gal 3:14-22, 29

14  that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 

15  Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 

16  Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "and to seeds," as of many, but as of one, and to Your seed, who is Christ. 

17  And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ (God’s Covenant with Abraham), that it should make the promise of no effect. 

18  For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 

19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 

20  Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. 

21  Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 

22  But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

29   And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Gal 4:13, 28 

13  For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 

28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.  

Gal 3:14

14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 

Heb 6:13-14 

13  For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 

14 saying, "surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you."

JESUS IS THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM

2 Cor 1:19-20 

19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. 

20  For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

Eph 1:3 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ 

1 Cor 3:21-23 

21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 

22  whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. 

23  And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.  ach initiatives, we are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone can grow in their faith.

Mat 1:1 

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham

Mat 1:17 

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations. 

FAITH REQUIRES OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S VOICE

Gen 12:1-7

1  Now the LORD had said to Abram: Get out of your country, From your family and from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 

2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 

3  I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 

4  So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

5  Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.

On the long trip to Canaan, Abraham’s father, Terah, died in Haran (Gen 11:31-32).

6  Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.   

7  Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

THE PATHWAY TO FAITH AND OBEDIENCE WILL LIKELY INCLUDE SOME FAILURES

Gen 12:10-13 

10  Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 

11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 

12  Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 

13  Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you." 

As God was teaching Abram faith and obedience, instead of remaining in the place where God wanted him to be, Abraham went down to Egypt, which typifies the world; and then he sold his wife in exchange for his life and livelihood. But God’s Mercy protected Abram and Sarai (Gen 12:14-20).

Gen 13:14-18 

14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 

15  for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 

16  And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 

17  Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you." 

18  Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.  

FAITH REQUIRES BELIEF

Gen 15:1-6

1  After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." 

2  But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 

3  Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" 

4  And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but  one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." 

5  Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 

6  And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. 

FAITH CANNOT BE CONCEIVED BY THE FLESH

Gen 16:1-4

1  Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 

2  So Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her." And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. 

3  Then Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband  Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. 

4  So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes. 

Gen 16:16

16  Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram. 

FAITH WORKS BECAUSE OF COVENANT

Gen 17:1-11

1  When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. 

2  And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly." 

3  Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 

4  "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 

5  No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 

6  I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from  you. 

7  And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 

8  Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." 

9  And God said to Abraham: As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 

10  This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 

11  and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 

FAITH MUST AGREE WITH GOD’S PLAN

Gen 17:15-20

15  Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 

16  And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her." 

17  Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a  man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" 

18  And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!" 

19  Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 

20  And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 

FAITH REQUIRES WAITING ON GOD’S TIMING

Gen 17:21-27

21  But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year." 

22  Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. 

23  So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. 

24  Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 

25  And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 

26  That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; 

27  and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Gen 18:1, 10-19 

1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 

10  And He said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son." (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 

11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 

12  Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" 

13  And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?' 

14  Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." 

15  But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh!" 

16  Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. 

17  And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 

18  since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 

19  For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him." 

FAITH BRINGS FULFILLMENT

Gen 21:1-6

1  And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken. 

2  For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 

3  And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him — whom Sarah bore to him — Isaac (laughter). 

4  Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 

5  Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 

6  And Sarah said, "God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me."

Rom 4:16-21

16   Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are “of” the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 

17  (as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 

18  who, contrary to hope (no reason to hope, against logical hope), in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, so shall your descendants be.

19  And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. 

20  He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 

21  and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 

Mat 1:1 

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham

Noah was about ten generations from Adam (Genesis 5:1–32), and he is listed in the genealogies from Adam to Jesus (Lk 3:23-38).

NOAH – A TYPE OF CHRIST’S REST

Gen 5:27-29 

27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died. 

28  Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. 

29  And he called his name Noah (nôach - rest), saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed." 

Mat 11:28

28   Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest

Gen 5:30-32 

30  After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters. 

31  So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died. 

32  And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 

NOAH – A TYPE OF CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS

Gen 6:3-9 

3  And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." 

4  There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore childrento them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. 

5  Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 

6  And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 

7  So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." 

8  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 

9  This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man (righteous), perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 

NOAH – A TYPE OF CHRIST’S COVENANT 

Gen 6:10-18 

10  And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 

11  The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 

12  So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 

13  And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 

14  Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 

15  And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. (Roughly 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high, with a capacity exceeding that of 500 railroad stock cars.)

16  You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 

17  And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 

18  But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. (this is the first time God used the word “covenant” to describe relations between Him and man)

NOAH – A TYPE OF CHRIST’S OBEDIENCE 

Gen 6:19-22 

19  And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 

20  Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 

21  And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them." 

22  Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.

Gen 7:1-24 

1 Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. 

2  You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; 

3  also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. 

4  For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made." 

5  And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. 

6  Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth. 

7  So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. 

8  Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, 

9  two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. 

10  And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. 

11  In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 

12  And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. 

13  On the very same day Noah and Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark— 

14  they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 

15  And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 

16  So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. 

17  Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 

18  The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 

19  And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 

20  The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 

21  And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 

22  All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 

23  So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. 

24  And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.

Gen 8:1-22 

1 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 

2  The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 

3  And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. 

4  Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. 

5  And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. 

6  So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 

7  Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. 

8  He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 

9  But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. 

10  And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 

11  Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 

12  So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. 

13  And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first dayof the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry. (a total of 370-371 days)

14  And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried. 

15  Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 

16  "Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 

17  Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that iswith you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." 

18  So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. 

19  Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark. 

20  Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 

21  And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. 

22  "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease."

NOAH – A TYPE OF CHRIST’S BLESSING 

Gen 9:1-7 

1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 

2  And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 

3  Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. 

4  But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 

5  Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man. 

6  "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man. 

7  And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; Bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply in it." 

NOAH – A TYPE OF CHRIST’S ETERNAL COVENANT 

Gen 9:8-17 

8  Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 

9  "And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, 

10  and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. 

11  Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." 

12  And God said: "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 

13  I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 

14  It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 

15  and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 

16  The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

17  And God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth." 

NOAH – A TYPE OF CHRIST’S FAITH, GODLY FEAR AND OBEDIENCE

Heb 11:1, 6-7

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen

6  But without faith it is impossible to please Him for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 

7  By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

Heb 5:7-8 

7 who (Christ), in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 

8  though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 

NOAH – A TYPE OF CHRIST’S RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD 

1 Pet 3:18-21 

18  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 

19  by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 

20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 

21  There is also an antitype (pattern, copy) which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ 

Gen 2:4-15 

4  This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 

5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 

6  but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. 

7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 

8  The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 

9  And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 

10  Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. 

11  The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 

12  And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 

13  The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. 

14  The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. 

15  Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 

A SECURE PLACE TO BEAR MUCH FRUIT 

garden (gan) fenced, hedged around, protected, defended

Eden (Ēdhen) pleasurable, prosperous, delightful, fruitful

MANKIND BEGAN IN THE GARDEN AND ENDS IN THE GARDEN

Rev 22:1-2 

1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 

2  In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

GOD’S CHILDREN BECOME THE GARDEN

Is 5:1-7 

1  Now let me sing to my Well-beloved a song of my Beloved regarding His (God’s) vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. 

2   He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it; so He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes. 

3  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. 

4   What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? 

5  And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; and break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 

6   I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it." 

7  For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.

Is_51:3  

3 For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her  desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

Is_58:11  

11 The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Ez_34:29  

29 I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore.

Ez_36:35  

35 So they will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.'

Song_4:12-16  

12 A garden enclosed (protected) Is my sister, my spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

13   Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, Fragrant henna with spikenard, 

14  Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices— 

15  A fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And streams from Lebanon. 

16   Awake, O north wind (Holy Spirit), and come, O south! Blow upon my garden, That its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its pleasant fruits.

Song 5:1  

1 I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones!

Song_6:2  

2 My beloved has gone to his garden, To the beds of spices, To feed his flock in the gardens, And to gather lilies.

Jn 15:1-8

1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 

2  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 

3  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 

4  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 

5  I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 

6  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 

7  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 

8  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 

Gal 5:22-23

22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

23  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 

Ez 47:12 

12  Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.

Rev 22:1-2 

1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 

2   In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 

Gen 2:1-4 

1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 

2  And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 

3  Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. 

4  This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens

rested (shabâth) – to “cease” or “rest”, literally to “stop”

Ex 20:8 (4th Commandment)

8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy 

Sabbath (shabbâth) – to “cease” or “rest”, literally to “stop”

Holy (qâdash) – “set apart”, “clean”, “pure”, “whole”

Ex 20:9-11 

9   Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 

10   but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God.  In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 

11   For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

The purpose of the Sabbath is to alter our usual pattern, in order to Regenerate, Renew and Recreate… Physically,  Mentally, Emotionally and Spiritually. 

Similar to the need for sleep we must have Sabbath / Rest.

Cease from our work

Be in His presence

In Bible times and our times, combining Sabbath rest with Church experience has made Spiritual sense.

The Lord sanctified and blessed the Sabbath before the Law was established. 

Then in the Law, He reaffirmed it and indicated it is a high priority issue with Him. The Law reveals the conscience of God. 

The New Testament endorses the Sabbath as well.

TRUE REST IS FOUND ONLY IN GOD AND HIS CHRIST

Ex 33:14 (God speaking to Moses)

14 And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 

Mat 12:8 

8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

Mat 11:28

28   Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest

REST REQUIRES SUBMISSION TO GOD’S AUTHORITY & TO BE TEACHABLE

Mat 11:29-30

29  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

30  For My yoke is easy (good, useful, pleasant) and My burden is light.

REST REQUIRES TRUSTING IN GOD & INTIMACY WITH GOD

Ps 37:3-7

3   Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 

4   Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. 

5   Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. 

6   He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. 

7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him

Is 26:3-4 

3  You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. 

4   Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength. 

OUR PRESENT & ETERNAL REST REQUIRES FAITH, OBEDIENCE & HEARING GOD’S VOICE

Heb 3:7-19 

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: today if you will hear His voice, 

8  do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, 

9  where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. 

10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, 

they always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.

11  so I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter My rest.

12  Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 

13  but exhort one another daily, while it is called "today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 

14  For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 

15 while it is said: today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

16  For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 

17   Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 

18  And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 

19  So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. 

Heb 4:1-11

1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 

2  For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 

3  For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "so I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest, although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 

4  For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "and God rested on the seventh day from all His works

5  and again in this place: they shall not enter My rest.

6  Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 

7  again He designates a certain day, saying in David, today, after such a long time, as it has been said: today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.

8  For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 

9  There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 

10   For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. 

11   Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 

Here are some of the reasons a person isn’t enjoying God’s Rest:

Hardness of heart

Unbelief

Rebellion

Disobedience

Sin

Mat 11:28-30

28   Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (to cease, be still, stop, refresh, recreation)

29  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

30  For My yoke is easy (good, useful, pleasant) and My burden is light.