247 ~ CAREFULLY CURATED PROMISES ~ PART 2

Hello, a big welcome to the We Are Zion sermon podcast.

We are a church based out of Chennai, India.

We are thrilled that you tuned in today and hope that you will

be refreshed, revived, and energized by what you hear.

Our desire is that you will live life with a renewed sense of

purpose that stems from a vibrant faith in Jesus.

The year 2025 is 1 where we will be positioned by God to possess

our promise. As you listen in to today's

sermon, Carefully Curated Promises Part 2, we look closer

at God who is the one who stands guarantee over our promises and

carries them through to completion.

We hope that your heart is stirred up with the renewed

trust in God for the year ahead. Hi church, this is joy and a

privilege to be bringing God's word to you.

I consider an honor and even right now as we get into God's

word we're going to look into the second part of the series

that we've started carefully curated promises.

It goes in line with our years theme, which is position to

possess the promise and even before I start.

I just want to say that as we have seen the theme as you

started this year, we are bang in the middle of the month.

And I don't know, for a lot of us it can be like you're back to

the routine of life. You know, especially for those

of us who are in India, this particular time this season is

hectic because kids exams come, kids are going to graduate from

one year to another year in the next couple of months.

And so everything is geared towards that.

For those who are running businesses, this is the closing

of the financial year, the last quarter.

And so there's a lot of pressure around that.

But as we've started a new year and as we've been positioning

ourselves to say, God, what is the promise that you have for

me? And as we heard last week, you

know, to be in this place to understand what God has because

he's carefully nitpicking promises for each and everyone

of us. We saw last week that your

promise and my promise will be entirely different.

Yes, the overarching image of what God wants to see happen is

he wants to see all his children get saved.

But he's also placed us pivotally in different places to

achieve certain promises, not just for ourselves.

But for the. Generations to come in.

So even as we meditate on that, I just thought it'll be good for

us to visit the verse that we saw starting of the year so that

that kind of aligns us to where God is wanting us to see.

Hebrews chapter 6, verses 11 to 12, reading from the NIV and

Hebrews 6:11–12

this is what it says, verse 11. We want each of you to show the

same diligence to the very end so that what you hope for may be

fully realized. We do not want you to become

lazy, but imitate. Those who through.

Faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

And as I heard last week as Tina was speaking, a couple of the

things that we saw was we need to leave behind what God asks us

to leave behind. We need to go where God leads us

and we need to let God bring the blessing.

And I think this comes to a place where when we are being

positioned to possess the promise, it's all God.

God is calling us to rise up. God is calling us to break the

cycle. God is calling us to change what

has been passed down through generations in God is causing us

to rise up and say, Hey, I'm calling you to your promised

land and what does that look like?

Probably you, you we've all had certain baggages that we come

with in life when we bring when we grow up and we do life in

general, You know, there is a lot of baggage that we carry and

along the way those kind of dictate where we are heading.

But God, the minute we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, the

minute we allow Jesus to be Lord and Savior, we are giving even

those baggages, you know, the same privileges of being under

the Lordship of Jesus. And what does that mean?

God says, hey, these are things that are slowing you down.

These are things that won't take you to where I'm calling you to

be. If you want to enjoy a life of

freedom, these things that you've picked up along the way,

certain addictions, certain dependencies, certain triggers,

certain comfort zones aren't, you know, in alignment with.

What I have for you. And so today as we look into

this, the second part we're going to be.

Specifically looking back into Abraham's life and we're going

to be seeing specifically from the book of Genesis chapter 15

Genesis 15 · chapter mention

because I believe that's where God wants us to meditate.

But I just wanted to go back to Genesis chapter 12, verse 4, as

Genesis 12:4

we saw last week and read this one thing it says in Genesis 12,

Genesis 12:4

verse 4. So Abraham went as the Lord had

told him. And what was the promise that

God had given Abraham? This is, mind you, this is right

when he's been asked to leave from his hometown, from

everything that's familiar. And the promise that was given

to him is right before these two verses.

It says I will make you into a great nation and I will bless

you. I will make your name great and

you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you

and who are curses. You I will curse and all the

peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

And the reason why I'm going back to this is this is what

caused him to get up and leave. This is what caused him to say

God, I'm obeying you, He. And his entire household got up

and left. And we saw time and again

certain instances from last week.

We saw where God was leading him in that journey, where God went

in the forefront, where God said he will bless, but God said He

will take care of things. And as we step into the second

part, I want us to come to a place where God is asking us,

Will you? Take hold of this curated

promise that I have for you. And there are three things which

I want us to draw our attention to from Genesis chapter 15.

Genesis 15 · chapter mention

And the first thing that I want us to draw our attention with

these carefully curated promises are secured by a covenant.

Yes, the promise is there, but there's a certain sense of

security. That we need and that security.

Comes with a covenant that God wants to have with us.

And so even as you look into Abraham's life, I believe those

of us who have already been on this Christian journey, probably

it's been five years, 10 years, 15 years, and you've been like

God. There was this promise that you

gave me, but I didn't see it happen.

God is saying I am. Still working in you and will

bring it to pass. The time when Abraham got that

was probably 2025 years back, and the time when he's getting

this covenantal promise again is 25 years later.

And God kind of is journeying along to see, is he really going

to? Because the task that is

assigned for Abraham is far bigger.

And I believe that God's also calling us to say that the task

that is assigned for each and every one of us is far bigger

than what we can imagine. A lot of us have such an

overview of life, where we are. Thinking, you know what, if I

can do this, If I can be in this job, if I can get this house, if

I can get this car, if I can have a certain level of income,

I think we are set for life. But God is.

Calling you I want you to live in the promise that I have set

out for you. This word of the Lord comes

right after he rescues Lot. He meets with the king of Salem

Melchizedek and he walks away saying I don't want anything.

Just pay the people who came with me.

They are dues and he walks away. So I just want to take our

reference Rick. Why is this covenant important

is because in Genesis 15 verse one, this is what God tells

Abraham. He says after this the word of

the Lord came to Abraham in a vision.

Do not be afraid Abraham, I am your shield, your very great

reward. What an honor it is for Abraham

to hear from God himself to say that I am your shield.

You know, for a lot of us, who've and which means.

When God is a shield, he comes in between US and the enemy.

He comes between US and whatever the enemy is trying to take us

out, you know, be it an arrow, be it, you know, the culture, be

it the, the negativity, whatever that is going to discourage us

and cause us to take a step back.

God is telling him I am your. Shield and so today.

You and I need to come to a place of coming to a place of

saying God, I want you to be my shield.

And how did Abraham come to this place?

Abraham came to this place because not because of the

blessings that he had. He came to a fervent

understanding that God is enough for me.

His God is enough. He he came to a place where he

could boldly tell a king, you can't buy me out.

He came to a place where he could stand up and tell the

people around that this is my God.

He came to a place where he had his entire household believe

that this is the God who's called us because in those in

that 20 years, he said, I'll make you into a great nation.

And you know, he, he saw God flourish him.

But it is in that where he gets to get an affirmation from God

saying, God says, I will be your shield.

I will be your reward. Two things.

He's the one who will protect. He's the one who will grow it.

And so today both when we say reward, it's more like literal

wages which people give, but in God's eyes, he says for your

righteousness, for your obedience, I will bless you.

Why does God start this chapter with his encouragement to

Abraham? It's very important because

Abraham is just he's he's done everything out of obedience.

But probably there's a he's going through some kind of a

discouragement himself. He probably is thinking, God, I

everything is good. I went and rescued my nephew.

I went and did all this God. But but beyond me, who's there

to take care of all these people?

Beyond me, who's there to take, take this forward?

Because even though he knew that God will make him into a great

nation, he probably thought the nation is getting formed. 300

people, 350 people for a nomad who's moving from place to place

is a good enough number now, even with a victory under their

belt. It shows that they are strong.

It shows that they have a certain capacity that they can

protect themselves. But I think he felt God.

I still don't have my own. I still don't have my own.

And I believe that is where God needs Abraham.

And this is some of the deepest emotions.

And today probably you and I are seated in a place where you're

like God. I thought all I thought of the

promises that you've told me, but they don't look like what I

wanted. They don't match what you've

told me. Yes, there is blessing that my,

my, my cup is running over. There's been, there's been the

blessing of our finances. There's been the blessing

materialistically, but there's still this deep promise that I

want to see happen. And God saying, yes, that

curated promise will happen. But I also want you to know,

would you be ready to just give me all the glory?

Would you be ready to tell anyone and everyone who comes

along, I don't need it from you? God is enough.

He's blessed me. He is my portion.

And Abraham does these three things in this chapter 15, which

I think will be pivotal. For us to take the next step of

faith in getting our promises and taking possession over them,

the first thing that Abraham did is he believed in God.

Alone. Genesis chapter 15 verses 2 to

Genesis 15:2

six, it says, But Abraham said, Sovereign Lord, what can you

give me, since I remained childless?

And the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus.

And Abraham said, you have given me no children, so a servant in

my household will be my heir. And the word of the Lord came to

him. This man will not be your heir,

but a son who is of your own flesh and blood will be your

heir. He took him outside and said,

look up at the sky and count the scars, if indeed you can count

them. Then he said to him, so shall

your offspring be. Abraham believed the Lord and it

was credited to him as righteousness.

And you might be reading something.

OK Geshom, we all believe in God.

We all believe God, you know. It's this very line, this very

verse, that set him apart. In possessing something that was

far beyond what he could. Imagine this, Imagine here we

see this entire journey. We see him come.

God says he'll be his reward and shield.

But in this head, as Plan B, he's already thought who will

inherit everything. He's already probably started

grooming his chief servant Eliezer into every step of the

way. This is how you should do it,

and this is how I would like things done.

There was a Plan B, but God's coming and saying no, your

promise is coming. Plan B is not what you think it

is. And so today I want us to come

to a place where are we really trusting God In verse 6 says

Abraham believed the Lord. Today we all believe.

Yes, we believe. God can do my miracle, but we

also have a. Plan A, Plan B.

Plan C Plan D Yes, God will do this, but.

I want to also get a confirmation from the medical

doctor to see what are the possibilities you're probably

seeing. You know what, I know God can do

this, but we are also moving to a place of seeing ABC.

OK, probably if I change my form of diet this way and probably

these are the things that cause my issues or probably the if we

move to the next place God. I believe in you, that you will,

you know, uplift our family. But I'm also striving here

trying to do this job and I'm also trying to see if I can do

3-4 other things so that we can make ends meet.

God is saying will you believe solely in me when Abraham it

says here Abraham believed in Lord is basically he believed in

God alone and no one else. He believed solely in God.

You and I have this big problem today in this day and age where

we have information all over us. We have solutions all over us.

We have machine learning all over us that we can get an

answer tailor made to what we want to hear.

But today God is saying, if you know this is the promise that

I've given you from my word, my word, which will not change,

will you believe in me only? And so today, why am I coming

there? Because today a lot of us have

been stuck at the place where we've received God's

intervention. Today Abraham could have been

content saying that he's been, he left out, God blessed him 20

years good, he's Chieftain, all that.

But the promise was God said he'll give him a child, He'll

give him a child. God wants to work in all the

impossibilities that the world has thrown at us.

And so today, what is it that you've been struggling?

Because today, if you believe, a lot of us are trying to believe

in the system more than God. A lot of us are trying to

believe in the processes more than God.

A lot of us are trying to believe in thinking if I have

the right connections it will all work on believe in God

alone, believe in God alone. God wants us to move to that

place. And why is it so important

Because Abraham took him at his word when it says there that he

will give you children, you can look at the sky and the stars,

will you be able to count it? He said God, if that is your

word, I take you at your word, which means when Abraham said

God, I believe in you. There was not nothing else that

he could believe in. There was no Plan B.

You know, there's the instance when we had gone and I think it

came across as fear. When I think about it now, six

years back when Tina was going through the entire procedure and

things like that, you know, post the, the hospital, the, the

procedure, she came out in the, the next one year as she was in

medication and things like that. I always was in this place.

I I love. The fact that God worked out a

medical, but I also have the belief on the doctor and it came

to a place when after a year when the doctor said even I

don't know. And that's when I knew saying

God, I can only trust you with my wife.

I can only trust you with her, no one else.

And just sitting opposite him and listening to that when he

said I don't know because you're a different case.

All the people that we've treated till now are all either

55 plus you're the only one who's come to us who's 35 over.

And that's when I realized God. When you're solely taking us on

this journey and when you're giving us a promise and when

you're causing us to move in that direction and you're

calling us to believe, I can have my belief in you only and

nothing else. Today, a lot of us are

struggling to find a promise because our belief is in

different places. We've probably broken it like a

pie chart and we've split it equally across different places,

thinking, you know what, if God doesn't show up, I'll have a.

Backup. If that doesn't happen, I have a

backup for a backup. But God's saying, can we move to

a place of solely depending on God?

Abraham moved by hearing God's words.

So when he left in Genesis 12, he left in obedience to what God

had called him to do. But 20 years later, God is

saying, I am your reward and your shield, which means I'm the

one who will protect. I'm the one who will bless and

this is where God is asking, will you believe me?

A lot of us today are looking for so many ways to be

protected. I was just watching a video clip

of how a lot of these billionaires have so much of

amount being spent on their security because they need to be

protected. You and I today don't have that

kind of a luxury. We can't be worried because our

hope is in Jesus because if anything happens to us, if our

eyes, if we close our eyes here, our eyes open up, our assurances

that we'll be in eternity. And God is saying, can I work

beyond your Plan B, Plan C? Can I be the only one?

God loves that. Just imagine if I'm dating

someone, okay, and if that person is not my everything who

I'm dating and I'm choosing to do my life with and I'm going to

get married to, but I have a Plan B and a plan C.

I'm texting some other girl. I have a plan C also a person of

another person. I'm saying thinking, OK, if this

person doesn't, what kind of relationship will that be?

What kind of a what kind of a place am I taking leading myself

into what to what future am I surrendering myself to?

God is saying, can you have my belief solely in me?

God gives clarity to the promise, and there's the

fulfillment allowing him to see beyond just his promise.

He's saying, I will reward you, I will give you a son, but I'm

also giving you something far bigger than that.

And so today when we believe in God, when we trust him

wholeheartedly, overtime God reveals to us far bigger things,

far bigger things. Just imagine Abraham is standing

there and says that that he made him count.

He said, I will give you a air of your own flesh and blood.

He took him outside. And then he suddenly reveals to

him the mystery of what his lineage is going to look like.

Today, if I believe in God, I want to know what my lineage is

going to look like. What is that so that?

I'll be able to move in that direction, you know.

It's not believing in God after I get the miracle.

It's believing before I even get it.

Here Abraham is believing in God solely 100% before he got it.

He is believing in God even before he can see the tummy of

his own wife increase. He's believing in God before any

trace of the miracle is even coming towards him.

He takes God at his word. And so today I don't know where

you are all at today I want to ask you if you want to be

credited with to God's account and saying this person believed

in me. He's my child.

He believes in me 100%. I have nothing else to do but to

bless him. I have nothing else to do but to

go before him. I have nothing else to do but to

give him a breakthrough. That's where God wants to meet

with us, Galatians chapter 2, verse 16 says.

Galatians 2:16

Know that a person is not justified by the.

Works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

So we too have to put our faith in Christ Jesus, that we may be

justified by faith in Christ and not by the works.

Because by the works of. The Lord.

No one will be justified. The New Testament takes it

further. We can do all the right things

we need and yet be far away from God.

We can, we play the instrument, we can show up in church, we can

hold the door, we can serve in any capacity.

We can do ABCD for God and yet be far away because we don't

believe in God, because our doing brings a certain kind of

good for us. It makes us feel good.

But it's in our faith and in believing that we start seeing

God work through US, God work through US.

So the New Testament takes it further and but the basis of it

is faith because. If we don't.

Have that it says when you believe with your heart and you

confess with your mouth that Jesus Lord.

So which means that we need to have 100% belief. 100% belief

means no doubt. 100% belief means there's no more room for

anything to creep in. 100% belief means we are in a tight

knit 100% vacuum, that anything that comes will deflate it,

anything that creeps and will be deflated.

And so today you and me have to move to that place.

Can we seek my belief is solely in you God, so that you will be

my reward. You will be my shield.

And so today, even as we finish the first point, I just want to

ask you, have you made God another section of the pie chart

or have you made him a plan C or a plan D option?

Can we move him to making him our soul person who will trust

and obey? Probably you're still waiting.

God, God, you're probably thinking about so many people

prayed. They said this is going to

happen in my life, but I've been I've been trying to work things

out or for those of you who've been obediently holding on,

you're still having but in the course of time you've you've

read so many things you've participated in so many things

where you have your own reports to say these are not possible.

What is possible? God, God saying everything is

possible by me, but will you trust in Him alone?

The second thing that we see is the inheritance that was given

by God is sealed by sacrifice. Is sealed by sacrifice.

Genesis chapter 15 verses 7 to 10.

Genesis 15:7–10

He also said to him, I am the Lord who brought you out of oar

of the Chaldeans to give you this land, to take position on

it. But Abraham said, Sovereign

Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?

So the Lord said to him, Bring me out here.

He fur a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with the

dove and a young pigeon. Abraham bought all these to him,

cut them in two, arrange the house opposite each other.

The birds, however, he did not cut in half.

Then birds of the prey came down on the carcasses, but Abraham

drove them away. The reason being when Abraham

left over, he was a nomad. He was a nomad.

In fact, there's a particular verse in Genesis 1413 when a

Lot's servant comes and calls him the the word that he uses.

There is a man who escaped, came and reported this to Abraham.

The Hebrew it says now Abraham was living near the great trees

of memory, the Amorite, a brother of Escol and Anner.

All whom were. Allied with Abraham, so Abraham

was his nomad, was moving from place to place, digging wells,

you know, moving as God directed him, moving in places where God

called him to settle down. And so there's this

understanding that when you are moving in different places, it's

like typically these backpackers, you'll see that

they won't have a house. A lot of them in fact now have

moved to that place where they want to work around the world,

that they are minimalist, they can live with certain things.

They are moving around. They are setting up their

offices and just open their laptop.

They are working remote. And they move around to

different people. So which means there's nothing

permanent for the man. So when God is saying, I'm going

to give you an inheritance, I'm going to give you people beyond

this, which means there there's a place where the people have to

sit. There's a place where people

have to do business as a place, people where people have to

sleep. There's a place where people

have to settle down. And so this inheritance needs a

place. So today for those of us who've

been like nomads, who've been moving around, yes, we moved

around. We moved around from different

place after different place, but God's been faithful.

He's provided, he said, God's also saying I will settle you

down. I will settle you down so that

I'll be able to establish. You.

And what is God telling him that he's saying I will do it.

And can you bring in a sacrifice?

He asks him to bring certain animals and laid at the altar

where he seals it with sacrifice.

What does that mean? Which means there is definitely

an inheritance that Abraham was getting into.

He was moving from being a nomad to becoming a great nation.

He was moving from becoming just a wanderer to becoming a person

who had things, who had lands. And as I had read from Hebrews

14, verse 13, the word Hebrew, it comes there, which means

nomadic. They were nomads at that point.

When you look at the root word, it goes on to say that they were

considered as nomads by the local people at that time.

And so today we see a couple of things that happened here.

God is saying Abraham is asking God, how will I know that I'll

gain these possessions? God is saying I'll stay true to

my word. And it's interesting that he's

asked for a whole bunch of animals, a heifer, which is

basically a cow that's not yet given birth and it's just three

under three years old. He asks for the doves, He asks

for pigeons, he asks for a goat and a ram.

And as I was just thinking about it, it got me reminded when I

was reading in Leviticus that these were the different

sacrifices that were given for different socio economic groups,

for people who could afford, for those who could afford when they

were coming to offer a sacrifice in the temple, in the altar.

And they they had the capacity and the economic status to

afford for a heefer or a goat or a ram, they could do that.

For those who couldn't, who just had low income wages or they

were part of the lower rung of the socio economic group, they

would give pigeons and doves. And God is setting him up to

realize I'm covering you. I'm setting you up as a nation.

A nation will have people across different socio economic groups.

A nation will have people across different skill set.

God is prophetic with Abraham there.

He's giving him a promise saying they will occupy the land.

They will occupy the land. It's a foretaste of what was to

come and I really want to say that God also is moving forward

to agree that He is in it. The reason why he chose Abraham

was so that the sacrifice of his own son will happen at a point

where He'll redeem the entirety of mankind.

So today Abraham felt dispossessed.

Abraham felt he had nothing for his own.

Yes, there were wells dug. The the evidence of God's

blessing was seen in the people and the things that they had,

but there was no land to say that this is ours.

This is where God is establishing us.

But God gave him and sealed his inheritance, saying I will give

you the land that. You will be able to occupy.

God turns the very nature of what the world sees Him as a

person who has no inheritance to a person who will have

inheritance. To give you this land, to take

possession of it. So today whatever you are

feeling about the promise that God's called you to do will feel

like you don't deserve it. You how will God make it happen?

And that's where God will make it happen.

There is definitely a ceiling that God wants to do with the

inheritance. The ceiling is basically setting

us apart basically to say you can't mingle, You can't, you

can't do things what others are doing.

And suddenly you realize in this Christian walk, when you're

moving towards God, closer to God, obeying what God's calling

you to do, and you believe in Him, certain things start

falling off. Certain habits start falling

off. Certain friends group that you

hang around with change because they are not in.

They're not going to. Lead you towards your promise.

Rather, they might be leading you toward they may be leading

you away and God is moving you towards the promise, but he's

asking you to cast off certain things.

Cast off these things. Suddenly the the the the glamour

of the world changes and the light of Jesus starts taking all

prominence in your life. And so this is where I want us

to come to a place where we come to a place saying will we move

to a place of saying God, I totally surrender.

I'm willing to sacrifice Lord Jesus and I think more and even

as I was meditating on that verse 9 on the different

sacrifices, it covers different areas of our own journey, our

own blessing journey. If you notice, not all of us

start where we can, you know, sacrifice a ram and a goat, but

we all start off somewhere. But as we move, the more we move

closer to God, the greater the sacrifice.

We see fulfilment in the promise that God's calling us to do so.

Today when we are looking into the life of Abraham, we see one

thing very clear. He's willing to lay it all to

get that inheritance. He's willing to lay it all, that

inheritance. God is saying I am serious about

it. Will you be serious about it?

It all trickles down. It's like because he believed in

God, God showed him that he's going to get a son and he's

going to have people as numerous as a stars because he believed

in God Goddessing, I'm going to give you the inheritance that

you want to possess the land which looks physical, but I'm

also here to seal it for you so that no one will be able to take

it from us. God is saying, will you trust me

if I seal this? Will you trust with trust me

with it with your life so that you won't be suddenly find

glamour in some of the promise that you're running after that.

This is why it's so important that as we have this theme that

we all see God saying, God, what is the promise that you have?

For me, my wife has a promise, I have a promise, a marriage has a

promise. But but we will pursue this or

we will run after this. We will move towards you to get

this promise. God wants to see it happen.

Jesus made a covenant with us by dying on the cross so that we

can partake of the promise that is for us.

That is eternal life. But he also said that he's

called us to live life to its fullest here, heaven on earth.

Which means I have to move to a place of seeing God come through

every step of the way. Not just when I feel like it,

but every day I need to see Him come through.

Can I remember His sacrifice every time I take the cup in my

hands? Beautiful aspect of the

sacrifice is what when God asked him to do that is that He laid

his Son and once you hold the cup in our hands, that reminder

that he is called us to this every time we take that cup that

we are his, we are no one else's.

Every time we partake of the cup, you're saying God, we are

yours. There's no one else.

So that's why he said do it as often as you can so that we'll

be reminded who's we are, who's we are because we are his.

If we have to partake on the promise, if our belief is in

God, we are His. There's no doubt.

You can't say I know I do this and we are His alone.

So today can we move to a place of getting an inheritance sealed

by God Himself? The third thing that we see here

is God gives a covenant to Abraham and He secures it.

He secures it. What is the covenant that God

gives? Genesis chapter 15 verses. 12 It

Genesis 15 · chapter mention

goes on to say, as the sun was setting, Abraham fell into a

deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.

When the Lord said to him, no, for certain that for 400 years

your descendants will be strangers in a country not their

own, and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.

But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and

afterward they'll come out with great positions.

You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried

at a good old age in the 4th generation.

Your descendants will come back here so, for the sin of the

Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking

fire pot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the

pieces. On that day the Lord made a

covenant with Abraham and said to your descendants, I will give

this land from the Widi of Egypt to the great river.

The freight is the land of the Canaanites, Kinesites,

Khatomites, Hittites, Pedicites, Raphites, Amorites, Canaanites,

Girgarites and Jebusites. I love this because when God

wants to secure the covenant, covenant.

Which means he's standing as guarantor for the covenant.

He's willing to reveal what is going to happen couple of

generations later. He's revealing what's going to

happen couple of generations later.

So the weight of what we carry is seen today.

You and I are carrying promises and the covenant that is going

to be promised, the covenant that is going to be fulfilled

over yours and mine. Life is for our future

generations. What is our future generations?

The future generations are one with what is God raising us up?

What is God calling us to take? Possession of now so that our

children will know how to take possession of certain things

later in their life. They won't give up and think,

you know what my parents, it didn't make sense to me at all.

Because today, if we don't really believe in God and say

this is what God is calling us to do, our future generations

will have doubts more than ever before.

If God is not a shield and a reward now, and our children

don't see it and don't walk in it, they will not be able to

experience it. And so why is it important is

because when God is wanting to, when God wants to reveal it to

Abraham about what his covenantal blessing is going to

be like, he wants him to realize that it's far bigger than what

he's imagining. The very land that he's wanting

to possess may not happen in his lifetime, but his future

generations are going to come and possess the land.

Yes, we send that. Yes, it's disbelief that yes,

it's hardship that yes, through it all, they will come into

possession of something which is far bigger because God wants to

be glorified. God wants to be glorified.

So today, what does it look like for you and me?

What are some of the things that we failed to see it happen in

our lifetime that God's saying I will make it happen and the IT

comes down to us. What are we prioritizing?

What are we emphasizing on today?

Abraham, we see the future generations will be able to

possess the land because Abraham obeyed God and walked in it.

And every time they referred back to Abraham so that the

future generations be able to walk today.

What are we giving in to that we're seeing God.

I don't think the future generations, they can take care

of themselves. There's a sense of

responsibility that all of us have to carry.

You know, the world talks about climate change, the world talks

about recycling, the world talks about so many things, which is

good because we need to care for the planet that is God-given

mandate, creation. Care is one important thing, but

even the future of where we are headed towards is very

important. What is God calling us?

What is the promise that God's laid on you for you and his

Kingdom? What is God called you to

accomplish? What is God called your marriage

to be set apart, to be accomplishing here on this

earth? He wants you to move into those

spaces so that your future generations are set and they'll

be able to not only enjoy, but they'll be able to live in the

fulfillment because they will have trials and tribulations,

but God will lead them through it because He's already led the

people in the. Past through it this imagine

there were deed was Abraham and Isaac, Isaac had Esau and Jacob

Esau went. His own way of that Jacob, you

know, sought God, found God, met with God and then from him 12

tribes come out and then the the, the nation just grew from

there. God blessed God kept him in.

You know, they were bonded labourers literally in Egypt.

God moved them from slavery and set them free and they go

through the wilderness and as they go on to possess, there's

this journey which they go in not just for themselves, but

they're also taking up for their future.

You will see time and again they are living the gospel out.

They are living their lives out for the future generations.

We today are living it out so that the future generation be

able to hold on to Jesus. So today, what are some of the

things that God wants to move you to so that his promises will

be fulfilled? You'll be able to possess the

land so that you'll be able to have the covenant being secured

by God himself. I love this particular passage

how it concludes because as he is lying there and this is a

vision, it says here he's in a deep sleep and God is doing this

is he sees the supernatural meet the natural right there.

We can the future. You know when we look at it,

there was a time when God walked through the sacrifice that he

had asked to do for people that all the first born were killed

in Egypt, but all those who had marked the blood we see that he

spared them. We see in verse 17 when the sun

had set and the darkness had fallen, a smoky fire pot with

the blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.

I believe it was God moving through the Holy Spirit moving

through in that season, in that in between that sacrifice.

It's that same fire that met Moses and told him that this is

the covenant that I've given. Let my people go.

It was the same fire that caused the people who were crossing the

Red Sea to know that there was a God above, even by night, who's

watching over them, the visibility of God's promise

being taken. It's the same fire that was

present when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were there in an

other foreign land in the midst of trials and tribulations to be

present in between four of them. It's the same fire that came on

the upper room that goes on to say I am with you, the God of

all covenant to secure everything that I've promised

with you. So today, would you allow his

fire to go between the sacrifices that we've done, the

sacrifices that we've done when God is asking us to lay it all

at the altar, he's saying I will quench it.

I, I, I get this visual image. When we believe in God, that's

what will happen. No form of Baal and they are

their works will remain but only God will come.

The all consuming fire will come upon our altar and sacrifice and

take it at all. So today you have to be consumed

by the Holy Spirit to realize this is what God's calling you

Homeophost is just sitting on our promises thinking yeah it'll

come. God's timing is perfect.

The best is yet to come. These are all phrases good.

But have you taken position of it?

Because if you haven't taken position of it.

You are in a pivotal place to ask God, what are you wanting me

to do because it is in your doing that he will reveal what

the next step is. It's in your doing.

It's you're saying God bring the right person to me in my life.

But if you're not able to say God, is this person worth

pursuing. Am I what is this is is the is

this person who you've set for me for my life.

God is asking you all that questions.

Take that step. Find that out.

God wants to move in. And three, if you are not able

to take that bold step of faith, a lot of us have just sat there

saying, yeah, God, you worked last year, this year, I don't

know, I'll just whatever scraps you give, I'm OK.

No, go, go back to God and say God, no, show me, Lord, which is

the step I have to take. Even as we see this fire move

through. It's a divine tool for both

destruction and refinement. And I think it's an illustrating

power of God's holiness and God's power.

God would use fire to remove everything that is causing us to

move away from him or is causing us as a stronghold.

But at the same time, God's also using the fire to set us to a

place of refinement. And saying this is solely

whatever is remaining is because we've been through the fire,

we've held on to him, we've been through it, we've seen him come

through. So today, May God allow us to

move from just becoming a person who's operating in the natural

and seeing things in the natural to start seeing things in the

supernatural. I strongly believe, church,

we're entering into a season where God wants us to start

seeing things in the supernatural.

Because if we don't see things in the supernatural, if we don't

ask God for the deeper things, we will not be able to run our

race with weaker. We won't be able to run our race

with purpose. We won't be able to run our race

with strength. We would be weak.

We would give up every there'll be exhaustion at every turn.

God is wanting us to have that strength to run through the

strength which Caleb had at 80 to say I will go conquer that

land. We are not done yet.

We are not done yet. So today as Abraham received

this, he believed in God said ask and encourage you if those

of you who had planned these move back to God, confess the

cross is the place where we can repent and say God, I'm sorry

I've had other options, but today I'm solely dependent on

you. You are my everything.

Can we move to a place of saying God, my inheritance?

So far, Lord has been something which I've been striving for

about God, saying I am your inheritance and I'm here to give

it to you. Can you lay everything at the

altar? Can you lay everything at the

altar? And the third is God is saying,

I'm wanting to work beyond. I'm wanting to work beyond your

generation. I'm wanting to see things done

in a covenantal way where I'm willing to stand.

As a security for that so that I'll be able to see it come

through in your life and church, I just want to encourage you,

don't give up. This is just the start.

Your miracle is on the way. Your promise is on the way.

Your It'll come only when you allow the miracle worker to work

in and through you, the promise keeper to work through you.

Abraham to wait for a certain period before God tests us.

Is this person really worth me giving the promise?

Otherwise, we receive the promise and we don't know how to

handle it. Well, we don't.

Our love for the promise will be so much that our love for God

starts taking a different turn altogether.

Move. Let us move to a place of

surrendering to God wholeheartedly.

Can I pray? For you, loving heavenly Father,

Lord, we thank you, Lord, for this time.

I pray that Lord, even as you heard this, these won't be

things, Lord, that we'll just go pass by like another week, but

these will be things that we'll be able to say, Lord, we want

you to work in and through US. Lord, we come back to you.

Lord, you are our reward. You are our shield and we

believe in you, Lord. We believe, Lord Jesus, the

inheritance that you've kept for us, We, we move to a place of

the altar where we laid at the altar and say, Lord, you, here's

everything that we have. We laid that you consume it,

Lord. And I pray, Holy Spirit, that

you would move through our sacrifice, that you would refine

us, that you will shape us. Lord Jesus, you will cause us

what to be. I pray that every doubt and fear

will be extinguished because of your refining right now.

Lord Jesus, I pray those steps that you're struggling to take,

that we'll be able to take because we're surrendering to

you that areas that we are unable to let go, we'll let go

and surrender and hold on to you alone.

You are enough for us. Lord Jesus, I pray we'll see you

move through. Lord Jesus.

Lord, you who moved through a through that pillar of fire,

would you move into our hearts today, into our homes today,

into our offices today, into our spaces today where Lord we are

struggling that you would move. Quench everything that is not of

you, Lord Jesus, quench everything that is not of you.

I pray that Lord, those mobile phones go in and quench.

Lord Jesus, are spaces where we are desecrating, that you would

go in and quench places where we have not far to allow too many

things or to take hold. Go and quench it, Lord Jesus,

that we will receive your covenantal blessing.

Lord Jesus, today for our future generations, I pray, Lord,

people will take possession of the promise not just for

themselves, but for the years for the generations to come,

Lord, they will be able to see into their children's children,

Lord Jesus, into that, Lord Jesus, I pray we as a church

will rise up to that place where we will see the church for that,

Lord Jesus, for what is for the future generations to come.

What are we building on, Lord Jesus?

That we will be united in our differences.

We will be united, Lord, we will see that come through.

Lord Jesus, go before us, be with us.

I pray that Lord, your presence is what we desire for Lord,

every step of the way, Your most holy name we pray, Amen.

Amen. So Church, even as we heard, I

pray that you will hold on to God because these are important

things. These are critical decisions

that we can't just make overnight.

These are things which you're going to allow to soak in.

See God. I pray that you will see God

because when God directs us into a particular direction, we get

to see only small glimpses, but those glimpses are enough for us

to start the journey. So today I pray that you'll be

able to make those faith steps across the way and see a miracle

come through. God bless you all and have a.

Blessed week ahead. Thanks for listening to this

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