Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is
designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
right in. Okay, so we are continuing from where
we left on Sunday. We'll continue from where
we left on Sunday. I just want to thank the pastorate
for another opportunity to share the word of
God with us. We began teaching on God's plan
for all nations on Sunday, and we're going to
continue in that teaching. I believe that we
had already started in Genesis 1, 20, 60, 28,
which is God's original plan. So I'm going to
give a background or a recap on what we did on
Sunday. We started reading from the book of Matthew
chapter 28 from verses 16. And we found out that
the Lord appointed a mountain to meet his disciples,
which is in Galilee. And we say that our Lord
Jesus intentionally chose that location. Pastor
Fanny helped us to see and also Pastor Victor
during Catechismas. But geography, right, is
important when it comes to the interpretation
of the scriptures also. It's very important.
And one of the things we looked into was Galilee
was referred to as Galilee of the Nations by
the time we go to Isaiah chapter 9 from verses
1 to 2 because of what had happened in that region.
And if you go back to the book of Kings, 2 Kings,
One thing you see there is that there was an
invasion that happened. That's Kings 15. You
see the northern side, what was happening in
the northern side, which is the kingdom of Israel.
But this time, Israel was divided into two kingdoms,
the south and the north. So the north, that's
where it happens to, that side happens to have
the Galilee, that Galilee. And in that region
also, we have lands like the lands of Naphtali
the land of Zebulon. So one thing you see in
that 2 Kings chapter 15 was that the kings, the
king of the north, they wanted to go and invade,
the king of the north wanted to go and invade
the king of the south, the southern kingdom.
Because the southern kingdom refused to join
them, right? Well, they wanted to fight the Assyrian
kingdom that was reigning by that time, but they
were paying taxes to them. So they They wanted
the south to join them. When the south refused
to join them, they now wanted to attack the south.
So by that time, Ahaz, in 2 Kings 16, he now
sends some gifts to the king of Assyria, telling
him to come for his aid or his help. Because
of the king of south and the king of Syria, they
wanted to fight the king of the north and the
king of Syria. wanted to fight the king of the
south. So later on, in response, the king of
Assyria now comes and invades that portion of
the land because he had been called to help.
So he comes and invades the north part, which
happens to have Galilee. Then when that invasion
happens, he took the people of that place captive.
Then in return, he now repopulated the same region.
with different people, right, from different
regions who were not actually the original inhabitants
of that land. So now that's where the background,
you see that now it's called the Galilee of Nations
because there was now an emerging of different
people from different ethnicities, from different
parts of the world coming to live in that region.
And also it happens to be a trade route, right,
a trade route. So when people come to do trade,
they usually come to the ports. of Galilee nearby.
So it shows you that Galilee was like a gateway
to all the other parts of the world. And also
we looked at around Galilee, there were also
regions that were filled with pagan worship.
And one of the places we looked into was Caesarea
Philippi, which happens to be some few kilometers
to the north side of Galilee. Then also across
the sea, we see a place called Decapolis. And
in that area of Degapolis, we have the Gadarenes.
And in that place of Gadarenes, they show you
that it was not a Jewish region because they
were keeping swine, which was seen as ceremonially
unclean. And also there were tombs all over the
embassy. A man there and Jesus is going there.
It shows you the kind of place it was. And it
is in that place, near that place, that Jesus
gave the Great Commission. to go into all the
world and preach the gospel. So meaning, one
thing we look also is that the mandate of God
or the plan of God is not discriminatory. So
it's for all the world. I think we are together
on that. So now, we're going to look at the original
plan of God from the beginning. We'll look at
the original plan, then look at what went wrong.
So we have to look at the original plan and what
went wrong. At the last meeting, we looked at
Genesis chapter 1 verses 26 to 28. Let's go there.
Genesis chapter 1, 26 to 28. Genesis 1, 26 to
28. I'll read. And God said, let us, let us make
man in our image. after our likeness, let them
have dominion over the fish of the sea and over
the fowl of the air and over the cattle and over
all the earth and over every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in
his image, in his own image. In the image of
God created he, him, male and female, created
he, them. And God blessed them. So we are seeing
that this is the intention or God's plan. And
one of the things also we looked in the ending
part of Sunday meeting is the image is not...
about functionality first, but rather it's about
identity, right? Then after identity follows
functionality. So God created man in his image,
which implies that man is to be God's representative
here on earth. And we looked in word studies,
we looked at the word image, and we said that
word was derived from... The Hebrew word tselem.
T -S -E -L -E -M. And it means resemblance. Then
also we looked at the word likeness. And we said
the word likeness was derived also from a Hebrew
word, which is demuth. D -E -M -U -T -H. Which
carries the same connotation as tselem. So, that
word demuth was derived from a Hebrew word, another
Hebrew word, which is... Damah, D -A -M -A -H,
which means to, which means resemblance, right?
Also, right, to be like God, right? To be like
him or to be like God. So the word man also,
we look there, that is the word Adam. And in
this context, it implies humanity, which is both
male and female, which is both male and female.
So the fundamental truth, right, is that. man
in God's image and likeness, right? It talks
about or it gives us an idea of God's new creation,
God's new creation or new humanity. And this
new humanity includes both male and female, both
male and female. Then we looked also and we say
that the word blessed in Genesis 1 .28 is from
the word barak, which means to welcome in this
context, right? to welcome into God's plan. So
in other words, the writer explained that both
male and female, right, are welcomed into God's
new humanity, that is God's new creation, which
is in the image and the likeness of God, which
is in the image and the likeness of God. And
also we look at some terms, and just in that
same verse 28, which is the word subdue, the
word subdue, which is the word kabash. K -A -B
-A -S -H. The word subdue in Genesis 1 .28. Which
implies to trample underfoot. And also we have
another word called replenish. Replenish. And
the word replenish is the word male. M -A -L
-E or malai. M -A -L -A. The word was referenced
as feud. Feud. It means just to feel. So. And
the word multiply is the word rabah, which implies
increase, rabah, R -A -B -A -H, which means increase,
to increase. Then the word fruitfulness is the
word parah, which implies to bring forth much
fruit. And the word dominion is the word radah,
which means to prevail against or to reign, but
without violence in this context, without violence
and death. This is important because when we
are going to move to Genesis chapter 11, you
will see the exact opposite of Genesis 1, 26
to 28 happening. So that's why I have to pass
through this. So the words replenish, multiply,
fruitful, and dominion in Genesis 1, verse 28
had to do with God's plan for man. It has to
do with God's plan for man to function as his
image here on earth. So we are going to look
at that as we go down. So in that same place,
let's look at Genesis 2 .21. Genesis 2 .21. Genesis
2 .21. We are still looking at God's original
plan. Genesis 2 .21. It reads, And the Lord God
caused a deep sleep. So there's a teaching here
by Pastor. Victor, right, woman's liberty. You
can also try to go through it and also pastor
Fred teaching from Karatismas and many years
also you see the same explained. So here you
see the word rib and we're meant to understand
that the word rib there means cellar. S -S -T
-S -T -S -E -L -A is the word cellar. It was
applied for a building. of a tabernacle, or at
all, a temple, or a house. Tsela, talking about
the side of a tabernacle, or temple, or house.
So, in this reference, it was, we're going to
look, sorry, we're going to look at how it was
used by Moses in other writings. Let's read the
book of Exodus 25, verse 12. We'll see how he
applied the word tsela. Exodus. Exodus chapter
25, verse 12. It reads, And thou shalt cast four
rings of gold, right, of gold for it, and put
them in the four corners thereof, and the two
rings shall be in the side of it, and the two
rings in the other side of it. Talking about
the building of the tabernacle, right? Then verse
14 says, And thou shalt put the staffs, into
the rings of the sides, same word, selah is the
word sides, of the ark. That is, that the ark
may be born with them, right? So talking about
still in the context of the temple, right, or
the tabernacle. Then also we have Exodus 26,
verse 20. Exodus 26, 20. Exodus 26, 20. It reads,
And for the second side of the tabernacle on
the north side, there shall be 20 boards. So
you're talking about the side of a tabernacle.
That's how Moses applies it. You can write the
other ones down. That is Exodus 36, 31. Exodus
36, 31. And Exodus 26, 26. Exodus 26, 26. So,
after going through... how the word was used
by Moses. One thing that we can see is both male
and female have the same identity in God's plan
and purposes. They have same identity in God's
plan and purpose, both male and female. Let's
go back to Genesis 1, Genesis 2. Let's go to
Genesis 2 again. Genesis chapter 2. So we're
still looking at God's plan. And as we're going
to move, we're going to see when we reach to
Babel, we'll be able to see what really went
wrong when we are reading that Babel. The story
at Babel, that is Genesis 11. So, let's go back
to Genesis 2. Genesis 2. Verse 21. And the Lord
God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and
he slept and took one of his ribs and closed
the flesh instead of. So, One thing you see is
that Adam, God caused a deep sleep to fall upon
Adam. Pastor Victor also in Women's Liberty,
he explained this. So I'm not going to do much
on this. You can refer back to the messages,
they are online. So the word deep sleep there
is the word tadema, which means deep sleep and
also can mean trance, a deep sleep or trance.
And we see the same word used in Genesis 15 verse
1 in reference to Abraham. Genesis 15 verse 1.
Genesis 15 verse 1. So one thing we'll see is
that both male and female, they have the same
identity in God's plans and purposes here on
earth. Genesis 15 verses 1. It says, And this
thing, after these things, the word of the Lord
came unto Abraham in a vision, saying, Fear not,
Abraham. I am thy shield and thy exceeding great
reward. And Abraham said, Lord, what wilt thou
give me, seeing that I go childless? Verse 1
is talking about vision. Then he said, Abraham,
now ask the Lord, what wilt thou give me, seeing
that I go childless, and the steward of my house
is this Eleazar of Damascus? And Abraham said,
Behold, to me thou hast not given a seed. And,
Lord, one born in my house is mine heir. And,
behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,
This shall not be thy heir, but he that shall
come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine
heir. And he brought him forth abroad and said
unto him, Look now towards heaven and tell the
stars, if thou be able to number them. And he
said unto him, So shall be thy seed. And he believed
the Lord, and he accounted to him. for righteousness.
So one thing you see here is that Abraham, right?
He says that what? He says that the word of the
Lord come to Abraham in a vision. So this is
a supernatural occurrence. And in that supernatural
occurrence, the Lord reiterates, the Lord iterates
his plans to him. He narrates his plan to Abraham
in a supernatural encounter, right? Supernatural
encounter. We see the same word used in Samuel
26 verse 12 for Saul. 1 Samuel 26 verse 12 for
Saul. They say that Saul fell into a deep sleep.
Then also we have it in Job 33 verse 15. You
can write that down. You can just refer them
back when you get home. Also in Job 33 verse
15. So meaning that what Adam saw in Genesis
2 was that the woman and him, They have the same
identity, right, in regarding to God's plans
and purposes for the earth. That's what it is.
So it was a supernatural, that was a supernatural
sight that happened there in Genesis 2. That's
a supernatural sight, right? Then also, going
back, so let's go back again to Genesis 2. Genesis
2. Let's just be there for just a few minutes,
then we'll move quickly. Genesis 2. From verses
23, right? Which follows after 22, and Adam said,
this is now the bone of my bones and the flesh
of my flesh. She shall be called woman because
she was taken out of man, right? So same flesh,
bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, right?
Which is a same and Bazaar, a same, a same and
Bazaar, right? Yes. When you look to the, And
that word refers to one who is your kindred.
The one who is your kindred. You see that used
in Genesis 29 verse 14. It means one of your
kindred. One who is your kindred. Genesis 29
verse 14. Genesis 29 verse 14. Let's just read
a few. Then the next one you can just write them
down. Then read them when you get home. Genesis.
Genesis 29 verse 14. Genesis 29 verse 14. It
reads, And Laban said unto him, Surely thou art
my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him in
the place of a month. This is Jacob and Laban.
So he's talking about relation in this scripture.
Then also we have 2 Samuel chapter 5 verse 1.
2 Samuel chapter 5 verse 1. Then the rest, I'll
just cut them out and you write them down. 2
Samuel 5, verse 1. It says, Then came all the
tribes of Israel to David and to Hebron, and
spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy
flesh. So you're talking about kindred. So, therefore,
what Adam saw, and Adam's words that proceeds
after what he saw, saying, Surely she is the
bone of my bone and the flesh of my flesh. He's
just saying that there is a shared identity between
man and female as regarding to God's plans and
purposes for the earth. There is no one who is
inferior to another. It's the same. That's why
when you now read how Moses constructs it or
how Moses paints it in Genesis and subsequently
in other writings of Moses, he refers to the
same word. side, that is verse 22, talking about
the tabernacle. So, he's talking about the tabernacle
and refers to the word side in reference to both
male and female. So, both male and female are
the house of the Lord. Are we together? Yes.
So, now, let's read. Now, this will make us understand
Genesis 20, Genesis 19. Verse 4 to 8, still in
Pastor Victor's teaching. Genesis chapter 19,
verse 4 to 8. Genesis 19, 4 to 8. When the Pharisees
came to ask Jesus a question concerning divorce.
That's Matthew 19. Yes. Matthew 19, verse 4 to
8. Matthew 19, 4 to 8. Sorry. So. Let's read
from verses 3. And the Pharisees also came unto
him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it
lawful for a man to put away his wife for every
cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have
you not read that he that made them at the beginning
made them male and female? Referring to Genesis.
And said, For this cause shall a man leave his
father and mother. and shall cleave unto his
wife, and the twain shall become one flesh. Wherefore,
there are no more twain, but one flesh. Why therefore
God hath joined together, let no man put a sinner?
So, then he continues and says, then they say
unto him, why then did Moses then command us
to give a writing of divorcement and to put away?
And he said unto them, Moses, because of the
hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put
your wives away. But from the beginning, it was
not so. And I say to you, whosoever shall put
away his wife, except of fornication, shall be,
and shall marry another one, committed adultery,
and whosoever married her, which is put away,
doth commit adultery. So what Jesus was doing
here was to put them or to make them see, right,
the intention from the beginning. That man and
female, male and female, from the beginning,
Right? Their identity is in regards to God's
plans and purpose, and they are equal. I'm not
going to talk much about this. So, having seen
that now, we've seen God's plan, we've seen God's
purposes in Genesis 1, 2, entering into 3. Then
the question now that comes is, what then went
wrong? What went wrong? What went wrong? Where
did the nations emerge from? If God's man has
one identity, why then was there confusion when
you now go to Genesis 11? What happened or what
went wrong? So now we are getting into the teaching,
the main teaching. Genesis chapter 11, let's
go there. All of us in your Bibles, if you have
a hard copy Bible, you can use that. It works
best. Let's look at what went wrong. We have
seen God's plan. We have seen God's intention
for both male and female and what God wants.
But something went wrong when you go to Genesis
chapter 11. I want you to read Genesis 11 from
verses 1 down to, from verses 1 up to 10. It
reads, and the whole earth was of one language
and one speech. And it came to pass as they journeyed
from the east that they found a plain in the
land of Shinar. And they do out there, the background
is chapter 10. You can go and read it. And they
said one to another, go to, let us make brick
and bend them thoroughly. And they had brick
for stone and slime they had made for mortar.
And they said, go to, let us build us, let us,
let us build us a city. and the tower whose top
may reach unto heaven. And let us make us a name,
lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of
the earth. And the Lord came down and see the
city and the tower which the children of men
built. And the Lord said, Behold, the people
is one, and they have one language. And this
they began to do, and now nothing. will be restrained
from them which they have imagined to do. Go
to, let us go down. And they confounded their
language that they may not understand one another.
So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence
upon the face of all the earth and they left
off to build the city. Therefore is the name
of it called Babel. Because the Lord did there
confound the language of all the earth, and from
thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon
the face of the earth. So, let's move from here.
So, let's go back to verse 1 now. We do word
study, right? We do a word study there in Genesis
11. The first word you see appearing in verse
1 is the word earth. It's the word earth, which
is the word eretz. Earth, which is the word eretz.
E -R -E -T -S. Eretz. E -R -E -T -S. Eretz. And
that word means land. It means earth. But in
this context, the whole earth there talks about
humanity. It's talking about humanity. It's in
reference to humanity. Then when you go to verse
2, it says, and it came to pass as they journeyed.
From the east that they found in a plain, they
found a plain in the land of Shina and they do
it there. Another word that we need to look at
is the word journeyed. And the word journeyed
is the word Nasa. Nasa. N -A -S -A. It means
to start on a journey. It means to march. It
means to set aside. It actually infers a nomadic
lifestyle in response in this context. We are
going to see it at the end. It infers a nomadic
lifestyle in response to God's plan to fill the
earth with his image. Just hold that thought.
And another word we want to look at is the word
duals. Duals. Duals. Which is D -W -E -L -T.
Which is the word yashab. Yashab. Y -A -S -H
-A -B. It means to settle. It means... To remain.
And it means to make a house or to tarry. So,
in your mind now, one thing that is coming is
they said, let us dwell. That is, they are staying
in one place. They want to stay in one place.
And you see why they want to do it and how it
is a counter narrative to God's plans and purposes.
Just hold on. Then we see the word build also
in that verse 4. In verse 4, the word build.
And they said, go to, let us build us a city
and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven and
let us make us a name lest we be scattered abroad
upon the face of the whole earth. And the word
build there is the word banah. B -A -N -A -H.
B -A -N -A -H. It means to make. It means to
repair. It means to set up. Right? It means to
repair, to set up, or also it means also to obtain
children. That's another meaning of that. This,
when you read it, it is actually a contrast to
God's plan. Because when you go to Genesis, it
is God's plan is that he himself is the one who
will be built by his spirit. From Genesis 1,
verse 1, 2, 3. It is God who is to do it. But
now we see man. They are the ones who are to
build. And you see what they are going to build.
It is God who is building his house in the earth.
But here you see that man, they are building
something that is counter to God's plans and
purposes. Let's just move. We'll see. They say,
let us build us a city. Let us build us a city.
And city there is here. I -Y -R -A. I -Y -R -A.
which means a town or a people. Let's go a bit
faster. And we have the word in verse five, which
is tower, which means migdal, tower. You see
what they are building. Just follow. We have
the word migdal for tower. That word means a
stronghold, right? By analogy, right? It often
describes a stronghold in cities where gods,
where gods, G -O -D -S, and idols are kept. That's
what it meant. So the writer here, Moses, communicates
that what people intended to build was a temple
or a supernatural, it was a temple or a supernatural
space in the earth for supernatural beings who
sit. That's what they intended to build or to
do, which is a counter narrative to God's plans
and purposes. So, another word we'll look at
is the word top. The word top. The word top in
verse 5, right? It reads, that should be verse
4, going down. And they say, let us build a city
and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven.
The word top there, it implies head. It implies
beginning or source of authority. It means head.
beginning or source of authority. So, they intended
to make a tower, right? It means authority, right?
So, it will imply they intended to make a tower
their ruler, right? Or the object of their worship.
What they were building there was a house of
idol worship. Are we together? It was a house
of idol worship. That's what they were doing
there. That's what was happening there. Then
to explain it further, he said that it may reach
into heaven. It may reach into heaven. It may
reach into heaven. That's what he said. And they
said, go to, let us build a city and a tower
whose top may reach unto heaven. Whose top may
reach unto heaven. So, heaven there, talk about
supernatural space. So what they were doing there,
they were trying to build by themselves, right?
They were trying to build a supernatural space
in the earth for supernatural beings, which we
call idol worship. That's what was happening
there. This is a counter. This is counter to
God's plan and purpose. This is opposite. Totally
opposite. If you want to go and do more study,
that's where you find the Ziggurat, the concept
of Ziggurat. Ziggurat is like a space which people
built. And on top of it, there's a temple. And
what happens there, because it's elevated, Pastor
Fred has taught us about heaven, going to heaven,
and so forth. I think you have an idea. They
built an elevated place. And what was happening
there was worship. So an elevated place means
heaven to them. Right? Yes. It implies heaven.
So what was happening there was idol worship
that was happening in Genesis chapter 11. They
built themselves in them. They stayed in one
place. Right? This is directly different or totally
counter to what God planned. What God planned
for the earth and for humanity. So this is a
problem. Already there's something that is going
wrong. We'll see something. Why this? There's
the contrast of this. Let's see the contrast
of this. That is Genesis 28. Genesis 28. Genesis
28, verse 11 to 12. Genesis 28, 11 to 12. This
is a contrast of what is happening there in Genesis
11. Genesis 28 is a contrast. Genesis 28, 11
to 12. Right, 11 to 12. It reads, And he lighted
up a certain place and tarried there all night,
because the sun was set, talking about... Jacob,
before the sun was set and took off the stones
of that place and put them for his pillows and
laid down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed
and behold, a ladder was set on the earth and
the top of it reached heaven. And behold, the
angel of the Lord ascending and descending on
it. And all the Lord stood above it and said,
I am the Lord of Abraham, thy father. and the
God of Isaac, the land whereon thou liest, to
thee will I give it, and to thy seed. So one
thing you see that here, God is the builder of
what happened in this analogy. It is no man who
intended to do it. It is not Jacob who built
anything, but it is God who was doing it by himself.
It is God doing it by himself. And we see also,
The opposite of this is Genesis 11, verse 4.
Let's go back to Genesis 11. We have not finished.
And we see the word scattered abroad, the phrase
scattered abroad, which means to break. Genesis
11, right, to scatter abroad, which means to
break or to spread. So they intended, these people,
they intended the very opposite of God's plan
to replenish the earth. and to fill the earth.
So they are coming to one place and they are
doing it for themselves. All of them, let's come
together. But God's plan and purpose is that
the whole earth should be filled with the knowledge
of the Lord. So this is contrast to what God
wants. God wants the word of God and God's plans
and purpose to spread in all areas of the world,
all parts of the world. But the language, their
communication, and their actions, They seem to
talk otherwise or to present otherwise as compared
to God's plans and purposes. And then also we
see confound, confound in verse seven, which
is the word balao, which means to overflow or
to mix or also it means to mingle, right? And
we have in verse nine, the word babel, the word
babel in verse nine. In verse nine, we have the
word babel, which implies confusion. It's root
word, actually, you see the word Babylon there.
So, and in Old Testament, we see the word Babylon.
And that Babylon, it's usually connotes, right,
the world, the system of the world, or man -made
system. It means man -made system. And also it
talks about man doing things without God's spirit.
When you go and check it, right, Babylon. So
as a result of men trying to give, what men was
trying to do in Genesis 11 was to give the earth
a purpose. That's what they were trying to do.
Right. Which is against God's plans and purposes.
Right. So in itself, that is rebellion that was
happening there. So they were rebelling against
God's plans and purposes. Right. So fast forward
now in chapter 12. Let's start now. Chapter 12.
So. This is something, something has already
gone wrong. So God, in response of what had happened
in Genesis 11, he now calls Abraham out of those
nations that were scattered. Because when you
go now in chapter 10, you see the table of generations.
You see that they came about 70 generations from
that point. If you read the Septuagint, they
had two extra, which is 72. So by the time you
get to... Genesis 12, you see the Lord calling
Abraham out of those nations, which you find
in Genesis 11. So what is God doing? This is
God's response to men's disobedience to his plans
and purposes. So what does God do? God calls
a man to reorder what had gone wrong. Because
God's plan is that the whole earth, man should
be in his image and his likeness. But this plan
has been thwarted in chapter 11. So God does
not have a plan B. That's number one. What he
does is that he corrects what went wrong. So
let's look at this. We are going to move a bit
quicker because we have already done the background.
Now the Lord said unto Abraham, Get thee out
of thy country and from thy kindred and from
thy father's house unto the land which I will
show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation
and I will bless thee and make thy name great
and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless
them that bless thee, and I shall curse him that
curses thee. And in thee shall all the families
of the earth be blessed. That is, God picks Abraham.
And when God picks Abraham, he does not ignore
what happened in chapter 11. He's saying that
through Abraham, he's going to correct what had
gone wrong in chapter 11. All the nations of
the earth, he's talking about all those. nations
you see in chapter 11. So he says that whosoever
bless thee shall be blessed and whosoever cast
thee shall be cast. That means their blessing
it means to walk on. Same with Barak. That means
Abraham will be a carrier of God's plans and
purposes. He is going to tell them about which
plan. The same plan of God blessing all the nation
all mankind to be the image of God and his likeness.
So Everyone who believes that, they will be welcomed
in God's plans and purposes. That is, whosoever
shall bless thee shall be blessed, and whosoever
shall curse thee shall be cursed. All right.
Let's move. Let's also read Genesis. Okay, let's
continue in that Genesis 12. Let's go from verses...
All right. Let's go to Genesis 15. Genesis 15.
Just leave it there. Genesis 15 from verses 4.
Genesis 15 verse 4. It reads, And behold, the
word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This
shall not be thy hair, because Abraham had asked
about him, he did not have an hair. Then verse
5, it says, And he brought him forth abroad,
and said, Look now towards heaven, and tell the
stars, if thou be able to number them. And he
said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed
God, and it was accounted for him. for righteousness.
And he blessed him, right? And he said unto him,
I am the Lord thy God that brought thee out of
the chaldeans, that is chapter 11. You see from
chapter 11, right? To give thee this land to
inherit it. So one thing you see is that Abraham,
what did he believe? Abraham believed the word
of God. And what was the word of God to Abraham?
That God is going to make right what was going
wrong in chapter 11 through him. And what is
the message of it? That man will be in God's
likeness and his image. That is what he believed.
So, fast forward. Now, when you now go and read
Deuteronomy 32 verse 9. Deuteronomy 32 verse
9. Deuteronomy 32 verse 9. It reads, and the
Lord's portion is his people, Jacob. It says,
Jacob is the Lord's inheritance. Can we start
from verse 7? Remember the days of old. Consider
the years of many generations. This, consider
the years of many generations. Ask thy father,
and they will show thee, and thy elders, they
will tell thee. Go to verse 8. When the Most
High divided to the nations their inheritance,
when he separated the sons of Adam, and set the
bounds of the people according to the number
of the children of Israel. And the Lord's portion
is... his people. And Jacob, Jacob is the Lord
of the Lord's inheritance. So I mean that out
of those nations, the Lord chose Israel, nation
of Israel. And why did he choose them? It's not
that there were many, more than any other nations,
or they were the best. No. God chose them because
he had confidence with their fathers. And the
plan is that through Israel, the Lord was going
to make right what had gone wrong. So Israel,
was to be God's servant to all other nations
of the world. Are we together? Exactly. So, Israel
was to be God's servant to all the nations of
the world, which they failed in, sadly. They
didn't do it. Or they refused. By the time you
go to Israel in 19, you see them, God telling
them that he wants to talk to them, but they
refused. In chapter 20, in fact. That should
be Exodus, sorry. Exodus 19 and 20. Then, Exodus
19, Moses tells them that God wants you to be
a peculiar nation, a kingdom of priests and kings.
Chapter 20, they say, no, no, no, Moses, you'll
be under God, right? You talk to God and talk
to us. You see unbelief in that, right? So they
were not able to do it. They're not able to do
it. So what God is doing now is that through
Israel, he wants to make things right, but they
failed on it. So let's see. I mean, Israel as
a nation was out of it. There were many other
Israelites or some Jews that preached the gospel
because Moses also is part of them. Paul is part
of them, right? So let's go to Genesis into Acts
chapter 17. Let me just jump some things. Acts
chapter 17, Acts 17. What we are going to see
is that did the word of God reach the Gentiles
also? We're going to just read this and we'll
see that the word of God, right, or the plan
of God, it also reached the Gentiles. And Gentiles
were coming in into this plan. So God was making
things right. Genesis, sorry, Acts 17 verse 1.
Acts 17 verse 1. Let's read there. Right. Acts
17 verse 1. Acts chapter 17 verse 1. And then.
And when they had passed through, this way. Anyways.
It's Amphib Police, right? Am I right, sir? Yes,
thank you. Yes. I know police is there. Well,
it's talking about a city of metropolitan, something
like that. And Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica
and there, there was a synagogue of the Jews.
There was a synagogue of the Jews. Then continuing
fast forward, verse 17 to 31, let's read 17 to
31 of the same chapter. It reads, this is Paul,
right? And it says that, therefore he disputed,
all right, I'm reading the right position. Yes,
and he disputed, he disputed he in the synagogue
with the Jews and with the devout person and
in the market daily with them that met with him.
And certain philosophers, the Epicureans and
the Stoics encountered him. And some said, What
would this babbler say? Other some, he seemeth
to be a setter forth of strange gods, because
he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection.
And they took him and brought him unto Aropagos,
saying, May we know what this new doctrine therefore
thou speakest is. For thou bringest certain strange
things to our ears. We would know, therefore,
what these things mean. For all the Athenians
and the strangers which were there, right, spent
their time in nothing else but either to tell
or to hear about new things. They loved too much
knowledge. Then Paul stood in the midst of mass
here and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that
in... All things ye are too superstitious. For
as I passed by, I behold your devotions, and
I found an altar with inscriptions to an unknown
God, whom therefore you ignorantly worship. Unto
him declare I to you. God, who made the world
and all things therein, seeing that he is the
Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in the
temples, made with hands. Still the same narrative.
Genesis 11. There is still worship of gods here.
There is still worship of idols here. Men attempt
to reach out to God, but they missed it. See,
verse 25. Neither is worshipped with men's hands,
as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth
to all life and breath and all things. And at
Med, just pay attention to 26. I want you to
tell me what comes in your mind immediately.
and hath made of one blood all nations of men,
for to dwell on the face of the earth, and hath
determined the times before, and appointed, and
the bounds of their inhabitation. Of one blood,
he hath made man of one blood. He hath made of
one blood all nations. What comes in your mind?
One blood identity. So God's man is one. God's
intention is one. One man with one identity.
That's Genesis 1, 26 -28. That is what Paul is
taking their minds to. That God's man is one.
There's idol worship that is happening here.
One blood talking about one identity there. So,
Paul explains, you can take this down, Paul explains
humanity as one blood or one humanity or same
identity in that. So God has made all man. He
goes further than that. He made all man to seek
God and God is not far away from everyone, right?
When he goes down. So Paul's argument is that
God is just one man or one kind of man, right?
So by this time, there were many races, different
cultures, languages, and different locations.
Even today we have that. All those are man -made.
All those are man -made. So Paul's argument here
is that there is only one man in God's plan and
purposes. And that one man is in God's image
and likeness. Right? That was the beginning.
That was the beginning. God's man is one. And
man is one identity. Right? So that is Paul's
argument. That this is the intention. So in that,
he preaches to them about the resurrection of
Christ. Pointing them back to God's plan and
purposes for man. here on earth. So now in closing
in about four minutes time. Right. You now see
the same Apostle Paul writing in Ephesians chapter
11 verse Ephesians chapter 2 verse 11 to 21.
Let's just read that in about four minutes. I'm
just going to read rushing. You see that now
he comes and say both the Jew and the Gentile
are one. What is he taking us back to? That Ephesians
2 is in reference to Genesis 1, 26 to 28. Both
Jew and Gentile are one. That is God's plan.
Because all of them are in one identity now.
Let's read Ephesians 2, 11 to 21. All right.
It says, Therefore, wherefore remember that ye
having in time past Gentiles in the flesh who
are called and circumcision. by that which is
called circumcision in the flesh made by the
hands. That at that time you were without Christ,
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel
and strangers from the convenance of the promise,
having no hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were
far off are made nigh by the blood of Jesus.
So what did Jesus do? Jesus comes again and...
Ask where Israel failed and fulfilled what Israel
failed to do. That is, in Christ, God has made
right what went wrong. This is what Paul is trying
to explain to them. Verse 14. For he is our peace,
who hath made both one, and hath broken down
the middle wall of petition between us, having
abolished in his flesh the enmity. even the law
of the commandments contained in the ordinances,
and to make in himself of twain one new man,
one new man, Genesis 1, 26 -28, yes, one new
man, so making peace, and that he might reconcile
both unto God in one body by the cross, having
slain the enmity thereby. and come and preach
peace unto you which were afar off, and to them
that were nigh. Talking about Jew and Gentile.
Nations, Genesis 11, made right in Christ. Yes.
For through him we both have access by one spirit
unto the Father. Now therefore, ye are no more
strangers or foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints and of the household of God.
This is what God is doing. Right. and are built
upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone
in whom all the building fitly joined together
groweth unto the holy temple, right? Holy temple
in the Lord. Genesis 1, 26. Yes. God's intention
to dwell in both, right? Male and female, Gentiles,
Jews. Yes. So things were now made right in Christ.
So Paul's argument in closing. So Paul, will
now go with this understanding to preach to the
nations that were lost. And what is he telling
them? That Christ, in Christ, God has made right
that which had gone wrong. So what is God doing
today in our lives? Is that God is reclaiming
the lost through us. God is reclaiming those
nations that are in darkness because they are
also God's people and God wants them to come
in. So therefore, we are ambassadors of Christ.
In this island, primarily. In our schools, in
our houses. What are we going to do? We know
now the plan of God. That God is making right
that which went wrong. Through you and through
me. So anytime when you walk on the streets,
have the consciousness of this. That God is making
right that went wrong through you. So you have
to speak. You have to preach. You have to share.
What are you doing? You are pointing back man
to God. Because in God's plan, there's only one
man. And that man is in the image and the likeness
of God. And he functions as God's priest here
on earth. So, just pray for yourself. The Lord,
I understand this truth. Right? Through you,
we are reclaiming the lost through me. From our
relatives to people around us, God is reclaiming
the lost through you. We appreciate you being
here today. We hope you carry this word with
you throughout your week. Until next time, stay
blessed.