The Unbroken Covenant: God’s Promise Through the Ages

praise God brothers and sisters god um I'd like to just read from Psalm chapter 133 verse one how good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity so you know it's good to have a community where we're able to gather and support each other help each other up um you know just just be together and to praise God and worship him uh so with that being said let's stand up and pray Lord God we thank you for this time that you given us Lord for this beautiful day God that we were able to come to the service Lord and to praise you God and we ask for the Holy Spirit to come into this place and to bless the preaching bless the singing Lord we we praise you God and we ask you to come into this place and help us to learn something new today God so we didn't leave empty-handed in Jesus name we pray amen at the start of our service we're going to be singing how vast the love of [Music] Jesus Gaz upon your savior behold your great High prise you're near in and wonder his cross [Music] has come rest from sin and stri theor of Grace the heart that turns to Jesus is cleansed from every s oh how deep how wi how long oh how vast the love of Jesus oh how sure has s now strong oh how vast is love for us so lift your eyes to Jesus arise from down and shame his blood cries in is finished our life is in his name oh how deep wi oh how vast the love of Jesus oh how sure are sweet how strong oh how his love for us but now can separate us can death or pain or fear we have the strong assur and Christ and in his strength will labor his promises our his love has us his love will Le us oh how deep how oh how vast the love love Jesus oh how sh us sweet how strong oh how vast is love for us oh how deep how are oh how that's the love of Jesus oh how sure are sweet strong oh oh how is love for [Music] us I see the king of glory coming down the clouds far the whole shakes the [Music] sh I see his love and mercy Wasing over all our s the people see the people see hosana [Music] hosana in the [Music] highest hosana hosana hosan in the [Music] highest I see a generation rising up to take their place with selfless p with selfless p i see a near [Music] rival stirring as we pray and see where on are the we're on our [Music] is hosana [Music] hosana hos in the highest hosana [Music] hosana in the highest he my heart and make it clean open up my eyes to the things unseen show me how to love like you have L me Break My Heart full of grace your everything I am for your Kingdom's cause as I walk from Earth into eternity hosana [Music] hosana hosana in the highest hosana hosana hosan in the [Music] highest hosana in the highest [Music] hosana hosana in the high well that was obvious we definitely messed up right there but praise God brothers and sisters uh I think everyone knew um but praise God brothers and sisters that we're all here today you know um the Lord's been working on my heart for some time actually to speak about um a topic and you know this week actually Tim texts me a poster uh that he wanted I believe to put outside and I'm like huh that's quite funny because the topic I chose this was a long time ago and I had written it into my notes um and it's the same topic uh that we're going to be speaking about this month I believe and so we begin um with my sermon here and I start with Christ's walk on earth you know it was one of the most unique life uh ever displayed in the history of mankind the Old Testament displays actually small little Clips or trailers of what this love is going to be like you know the promise we start with the promise God gives a promise to Abraham he says he finds a faithful man and he says you know you your faith is so unique and he gives him a promise saying that I will take from you and make a great and mighty nation and he holds on to this promise because through his son Isaac through uh then Isaac's son Jacob this nation starts to grow and expand and build you know he also preserves his Nation he also preserves them God held on to the promise that he gave Abraham and throughout the course of the Old Testament he preserves Israel from attacks evening out certain odds in the battle field and when they are on the verge of probably starvation and death he comes and saves them and provides them food he disciplines them a child knows that you know disciplining a child is probably one of the hardest thing to do for the person who's giving it but you know and not only that but the receiving end also probably doesn't like discipline from the father that a child might receive but when God displaces mercy upon Israel when he actually is disciplining them his heart actually breaks it's trembling because it's like a child he doesn't want to destroy it or ruin it or just lead it to a dead end and while he is disciplining it but he wants something this child to learn and grow in and that's why he offers Mercy even though God sent Israel through Exile he never LED them into destruction he never LED them to be completely destroyed he never restarted he continued to use this such Wicked probably Nation to move his will forward and yet love is what we find God's purpose wrapped in to hold such a nation close to his heart and the old old test uh Testament has so many wonderful stories about this of God's love for a nation who doesn't deserve his love and as I would be rereading um a minor Prophet that I've shared the story with with a youth and with many people who have I've had personal conversations if we open up to Hosea a minor Prophet chapter 1 we get to see a small clip or a small trailer of this love to come into this world and it begins with a prophet and the story that God has in his life and this and I'm going to be reading just from verses 2 to 3 when the Lord first spoke through Hosea the Lord said to Hosea go take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord so he went and took Goomer the daughter of dam and she conceived and bore him a son you know I believe every man is seeking to find for himself a wife that is probably a virgin who's probably clean who's probably purified through her father and brought up and raised but God had a different mission for this prophet he had a different mission for this prophet he was to take someone who was so far away from all his morals and standards and and he probably was looking for someone a lot better and a man who feared God at the time was you know the prophet of Israel a messenger to the people an example to the people of how to live and who to live for but to marry a prostitute was so far from him and from his character and we can see that Israel they actually closely monitored the prophet's lives they made sure that they lived up to the standard that they taught that they were living a life life that they that these people could look up to these holy people and be like that's how I'm supposed to live that's how I'm supposed to raise my children to be like and we can easily imagine how Israel could have reacted to such a decision of Hosea having no context to what God told Hosea to do they probably thought to themselves what a hypocrite how could this holy man take for himself such a disgusting uh wife for him she slept with so many other men how could he do this this is unbelievable but God's purpose for hosea's life was if anything meant to show an example an example a model of God's love not only for the present time for those Israelites but for the future and we open up to the same uh book of Hosea but now into chapter 2 10-13 and this is what the Israelites told Hosea now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers and no one shall rescue her out of my hand and I will put an end to all her mirth her feasts her new moons her sabbaths and all her appointed feasts and I will lay waste her Vines and her fig trees of which she said these are my wages which my lovers have given me I will make them a forest and the beasts of the field shall devour them and I will punish her for the feast days of the bows when she burned offerings to them and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry and went after her lovers and forgot me except brothers and sisters the Israelites weren't speaking to hosea's wife and this message wasn't meant for her but this message was delivered by God about Israel because many probably thought to themselves what a hypocrite that this holy man could take on for himself a wife so unpleasing like that but God he showed them their example and who they were and what type of nation they were they were the prostitute they were the one who was sleeping with other gods and serving other pleasures and desires and following their Sinful Nature Nature contrary to what God had desired for them in their lives and God through this example of Hosea uncovers something that has been long uh going on throughout Israel their prostitution their adultery against a holy and righteous God and how we too are quick to recognize the sin of those around us like the Israelites did probably towards Hosea and many other people the problem is that we all think the same way no one wants to look at the person who is reflected in the mirror when we wake up every morning no one ever wins when the goal is to settle the score score too many scores are trying to be settled right now we are wicked us Christians time and time again do not fulfill or carry uh truthfully the name of a believer of Christ we are hypocrites we are liars the greatest of Sinners these titles in many cases describe Christianity far better than they do than most unbelievers we just don't know it but Grace was made for those who don't deserve it a quote by a Christian singer where most of us come into the spectrum of Christ's Grace in our life is due to a loving God not many of us are Jews who God handpicked but many of us are adopted into this Kingdom we never deserved such a blessing for it was prophesied through many prophets about the salvation that would come to the Gentiles that would come to the people who were not initially chosen by God and we read in Zechariah 21 the following many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day and they too will be my people I will live among you and you will know that the Lord of Heaven armies sent me to you God's love is displayed throughout the Old Testament Goomer was a very blessed woman who was so undeserving of unconditional love brothers and sisters we are too and what does Goomer do after Hosea builds such a lavish life for her he gives her what she wants uh he has kids uh with her she goes and she commits again adultery she goes after her lovers again and pursues them but God tells him go buy her with a price he tells Hosea go buy her with a price it doesn't matter and so he sends her for her he buys her with a price and he accepts her again as a wife he accepts her someone who didn't probably even want him Hosea still accepts her and God bought us with a price too when we were far from him Jews Gentiles there are many instances and stories in our own life when we have committed ourselves to the Lord and then the next following weeks or days we're out of the Season we no longer want to serve God we feel depressed we're in all of these things we're seeking our own desires and you might be sitting here thinking to yourself I fall time and time again you might think that the Christians who sit right next to you that their lives are so perfect and you know what's funny that the Christians themselves sitting right here also think that their leaders and deacons and pastors lives are so perfect and and transformed but that is not the case Isaiah 646 says all of us have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags we all shrivel up like a leaf and like the wind our sins sweep us away all the good we do and the good people might see in our lives is only taking a dirty Rag and wiping a dirty table we might remove some of the dirt but there's still dirt left behind so that no one may boast that I'm this wonderful Christian that my life is perfect and and amazing no we find that through a righteous and perfect God that's why we need him not to be justified by our works by what we can do with our own strengths no we find that through a loving God who knows we can't do that who knows we can't live consistently a perfect life yet he still pursues us he still bought us with a price am I right brothers or S and sisters so don't let your mind lie to you that these so-called Christians deserve to be here no one deserves to be here I don't deserve to be here on the stage neither does the worship team neither does anyone here but God still chooses us for some odd reason he still loves us for some odd reason even though we don't deserve his true love what everyone is missing here on Earth but secretly is looking for it is someone that will love them even with all their flaws and that love that is so much that would desire to reveal the best version of you they want someone who will root for them even when they're down even when it's hard in their life even when they want are on the verge of giving up they want to feel this safe love that will protect them from their insecurities and we know what the world offers that counterfeit love it could be called lust it could be called many things but it's not the genuine love love that only can come from a person a being who's never sinned who's always been righteous throughout his whole life and existence that is the journey uh a Christian Des desires to live on is that when there are many potholes in the uh life in the path of life we may stumble time and time again but the difference here is is that God's love he stands right next to us and waits for us to ask for help to ask for forgiveness so that he can pick us up because there are days when we can't do it ourselves a lot of the times we cannot do it ourselves so let us be rooted in this love Inspire those who are around you to to seek this true love this love that we do not deserve and uh will never deserve and with that I like to conclude my sermon amen and we'll be singing worthy or Revelation Song Worthy is the [Music] Lamb Worthy is God lamb who was slain holy holy is he sing a new song to him SS Heaven Mercy SE holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come with all creation I sing praise to the King of Kings you are my everything and I will adore you and rainbows of Living Color flashes a lightning in rolls of Thunder blessing and honor strengthen glory and power be to you the only by holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to [Music] come all creation I sing praise to the King of Kings you are my everything and I will adore you filled with wonder a stru Wonder At The Mention Of Your Name Jesus your name is power breath and living water such a marvelous mysty holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is in is to come with all creation I sing praise to the King of Kings you are my everything and I will adore [Music] you praise God my dear friends right now we're going to have some announcements and um God is great you know God is great that that we're all here together and even though uh right now there's Super Bowl going on but but I know one thing Jesus is undefeated and if you're on his team you will always win amen and I hope everybody's on his team tonight well um so today there's actually going to be no gym um like after service we're going to have it next week um so I just want to say that and and also next Sunday this coming up Sunday we're going to have a coffee uh drive so tell your friends you know from 2:30 to 5: free coffee for everybody lattes latte d da something like that um americanos so come join us 2:30 to 5 we're going to have some coffee for the community for our friends so come here okay that will be Sunday from 2:30 to 5: we'll like also I want to mention Bible studies we do have so for those that want to know more about the word of God we have have Bible study Sundays at 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. um also I I got these cool little uh Bible stories for your kids because I got them for my kids and they're loving them and um there there's not just stories but they get to color and learn about the the stories in the Bible David Jonah the ark the all those other ones and so if you if your kids want to come up they can grab one don't grab two there's a limited amount but if you want to grab one for your kid I'm pretty sure they'll love it because my kids have been actually reading ever since which that's for sure not me I wish I love loved reading anyways um that's one of my weaknesses Lord forgive me but I just want to say my dear friends that let's open up our hearts to the Lord you know um tonight I think God is going to be speaking to our hearts and um I think each person sitting here can take something for themselves because the the word of God is for every single one here including myself you know and like I told a brother that if it's convicting you that's a good thing you know because it's sad when a person goes to church with a scar in his heart and all they say is good job good job good job and he goes home with that same or uh pain or the open wound or the open wound but the Bible the word of God has the remedy for them wounds the remedy for them wounds you know and may we listen to what's going to be spoken tonight but before that uh we have a group of sisters that prepared a song for us amen [Music] you are the word at the beginning one with God the Lord most [Music] high you hidden glory in creation Now revealed in you heart our Christ what a beautiful name it is what a beautiful name it is the name of Jesus Christ my king what a beautiful name it is nothing compares to this what a beautiful name it is the name of Jesus [Music] Jesus you didn't want heaven without us so Jesus you brought Heaven [Music] down my sin was great your love was greater what could ser a now what a beautiful name it is what a beautiful name it is the name of Jesus Christ my king what a beautiful name it is nothing compares to this what a beautiful name it is the name name of Jesus what a beautiful name it is the name of [Music] Jesus death could not hold you the veil torn be before you you silence the boast of sin and Grave the heavens are roaring the praise of your glory for you are raised to light again you have no right Ro you have no e now and forever God you re yours is the kingom yours is the glory yours is the name above all names what a powerful name it is what a powerful name it is the name of Jesus Christ my king what a powerful name it is nothing can stand against what a powerful name it is the name of Jesus what a powerful name it is the name of Jesus a powerful name it is the name of [Music] Jesus praise God oh praise God I think we could all just go home now you don't need to you don't need to hear from me after this I mean we had a beautiful sermon we've had amazing music and and now you get to uh listen to me so uh but we're going to hear from the we're going to hear from the Lord tonight and and I'm a little overwhelmed coming up here because as you as you think about oh what am I going to talk about what is the message going to be and you think well the Lord's laid this in my heart I'm sure people are open to it I I think that's what God wants me to talk about and and Mark said that you know as he as he came up here and five minutes into my message tonight you'll understand how impactful when Mark opened his mouth you don't think that every detail is of God and that our heavenly father cares about everyone every circumstance when we go and we PR present ourselves to him he threads that needle it's an honor to be here to speak it really is I've I've spoken to the youth a couple times those thank you for tolerating me again so my message is called unbroken and I'm going to talk about The Unbroken promise The Unbroken Covenant of God and I'm going to start in the exact same place that Mark did in Genesis so tonight if you have your Bibles I I don't when I when I speak I speak a lot of scripture this is very scripture heavy so if you have your Bibles please have them ready and you can move with me we're going to be in Genesis and exodus and numbers and Matthew John Romans we're going to finish in Jeremiah so there's a lot of scripture so let's hold on and see what God has for us because this is exciting and I know the Lord is at work so we're going to start in Genesis 12 right at the beginning I mean this is when God comes to Abraham and it's amazing I'm always moved at how simple the the beginning of of the world the beginning of scripture the beginning of everything God has for us is so epic and yet it's so simple I mean here we are in Genesis 12 Genesis 12 God's calling Abraham and we've already had creation yeah no big deal a few chapters we had everything going to pot and Noah and the flood and no big deal a few chapters you know everything's just kind of oh yeah let's just let let's get going here so we're in chapter 12 here and we're already to Abraham and it's amazing when God calls Abraham so Genesis 12 the Lord had said to Abram go from your country your people and your father's household to the land I will show you I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you I will make your name great so that you will be a blessing now listen I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse and all people on Earth will be be blessed through you now that last statement we know obviously is a prophecy of the coming of Christ Our Messiah all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you but I want you to listen to I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse a lot of us a lot of people hear that and they say well that's that's a great promise for Abraham you know God gave that to Abraham and he blessed those who blessed Abraham and cursed those who cursed Abraham but Abraham at this time was 75 this was 1918 around 1918 BC about 4,000 years ago so before I I move further into that this is this is this is the beautiful part so God just spoke to Abraham now we don't have any context around that there's not a whole lot that happened before that we're not sure how God worshiped we're not sure how God revealed himself how he spoke to Abram and so the next thing in the Epic Simplicity of scripture what's verse four say so Abram went as the Lord had told him and lot went with him Abram was 75 years old when he set out from her on he took his wife Sarai his nephew lot and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Heron and they set out for the land of Canaan and they arrived there they set out they arrived right after God spoke to Abraham just okay can you picture that God speaking and just all right gather your things and go so Henry the Lord comes to you appears to you and says Henry I need you to take everything your family and everything you own and move to uh Elco Nevada okay and so he went and so Henry went Henry's gone you know it's just these Epic things that start the nation of Israel and and it's just creates this amazing Simplicity around it because God spoke and Abram did and then the Lord appeared to Abram how powerful is that and said to your Offspring I will give this land so he built an altar to the Lord who appeared to him we only know of one other person in Scripture that God appeared to and that was Moses and what do you have to do he had to put Moses in the Clift of a rock you remember that and he just passed by Moses could not look at him because the glory of God would destroy him but here simply the Lord appeared to Abram and said to your Offspring I will give this land so he built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him so the promise of Abram ends here when he moves into Canaan and the Lord finishes that promise and says to your Offspring I will give this land so he completes that so we know that this Covenant is beyond Abram because if you think about that if Yahweh God creator of the heavens and earth without beginning Without End says simply to one man well bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you and that's it I me we think about it I mean come on I Abram was I don't know he's a pretty simple guy kind of a stupid guy when it comes down to it right I mean he went and sure he was a man of Faith but he also tried to pass off his wife for his sister twice and he had two sons and one was out of Covenant because he really kind of gave up and thought I'm getting a little old so I got to help God along Abraham was a pretty simple guy sounds like a lot of guys nowadays you know and then 75 years later he died kind of sounds like a lackluster promise if God just said oh I'll bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you and just one guy and he died 75 years later so the promise of God the Covenant of God was much much bigger do God's Declaration of blessing and cursing covered much much more than that and that's the thread that we're going to look at tonight cuz all all through scripture we're going to see the evidence of that so turn to Genesis 27 and here we find Jacob this is we all know the story this is Abraham's grandson and we we see Jacob he's deceitfully receiving the blessing from his father Isaac so Isaac is Abraham's son of promise this is his Covenant son so Isaac is old and he's he's passing on this blessing to his son so verse 26 then his father Isaac said to him come near kiss me my son so he came near and he kissed him and Isaac smelled his garments so we know the story Jacob is deceitfully coming to his father who can't see pretending to be his brother Esau who is the rightful Heir Isaac smelled his garments and blessed him and said see the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that Yahweh has blessed now listen to this blessing that Isaac passes to Jacob may God give you of the Dew of the field oh sorry may God give you of the DW of the heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine and let peoples serve you and Nations bow down to you be Lord over your brothers and may your mother's sons bow down to you wow what the power in that blessing can you imagine receiving a blessing like that from your father I mean I've got two grandsons here tonight they're six and eight and they're coming up at the age of their Bar Mitzvah when they will be blessed when they will be blessed by their father but as their grandfather I sit here and I think can I can I bless them in such a manner that would be so powerful because I remember being a teenager what what blessing did I receive from my father uh college is pretty expensive so you know make sure you get good grades yeah do good pat on the back that was my blessing there was nothing it was just fathers to their sons don't realize the power they have but here the power may God give you of the Dew of the Heaven and the fatness of the earth a plenty of grain and wine let people serve you Nations bow down to you be Lord over you and your brothers and may your mother's sons bow down to you the weight of Isaac's words he's passing on that Covenant promise he knows that he knows that the Covenant of God given to his grandfather or giving to his father is passed on to his son with authority and with the faith in the one who made it he is passing that on to his son oh that we take part of that and give that to our sons and to our grandsons and God providing to our great-grandsons but listen to this listen to the end of the blessing in the end of verse 29 what did Isaac finish this blessing with cursed be everyone who curses you and blessed be everyone who blesses you sound familiar he believed that that Covenant was not for his father alone he believed that Covenant was for the nation of Israel and he passed that on to his son Blessed Be everyone who blesses you and cursed be everyone who curses you and when he said that guess what we made it into the Covenant because we're what everyone you're everyone I'm everyone we're in the Covenant we have opportunity for blessing and curse ing because of what God gave Abraham right then and there and let me point out that the very nature of passing of this Covenant blessing to Jacob shows the power of yahweh's Covenant blessing once it is given even though it was given to Jacob instead of Esau once it is given it is not retracted it is forever it is irrevocable it is perfect and that is the nature of the God we serve and by the way here we have to remember also God said of you all mic a great nation now here we are 140 years later Isaac soon dies Rebecca soon dies so we have Jacob who received the blessing and his brother Esau so 140 years into this Covenant population two the nation of Israel 140 years that's that's all they got two so let's move ahead we're going to jump ahead 300 years we're going to go to Exodus 23 so find your Bibles Exodus 23 this is 300 years after Jacob received this blessing obviously this is the point where God has already delivered his people out of Egypt and they're in the desert and he's vowing to take them into the promised land so we're going to go to exus 23:20 and there's a lot of wonderful things in here and because of time I'm not going to you know jump into every single one of them but verse 20 says behold I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared pay careful attention to him and obey his voice do not rebel against him for he will not pardon your transgression for my name is in him now we don't know much about the angel of the Lord the word doesn't expound on that and exactly who he was how he appeared to them how he led them but we know that the power of God constantly goes before his people and now listen to this verse 22 but if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say then what I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversary The Unbroken promise of God here we are 440 years later that unbroken promise of God is repeated yet again now this is Yahweh Sabio Lord of hosts this is the Angel of the Lord going before the armies of Israel so he's only saying I will be an enemy to your enemies I will lead you in battle I be an adversary to your adversaries so that is the power of God and he's reminding them after 440 years this is the third time that we've heard that so we could stop here and say yeah well we know that that Covenant wasn't only for Abraham this Covenant is for the nation of Israel but we're going to keep going because it's too much fun so we're going to jump forward another 40 years to numbers 24 numbers 24 this is 500 years since the Lord's promise to Abraham 500 years so think about that when we just talked about Jacob receiving the blessing we had a population of two and then how many years later we don't know the population but we jumped forward here we're 500 years since Abraham so in 360 years did we go from two to how many people so this is the story of balum we know about the story of balum the the prophet the magician the seir that wandered the deserts of all of the ancient kingdoms and Balo one of the Kings hired balum to curse the people of Israel because he heard the stories of Israel and he was terrified of them so balam said okay for money I'll curse the people of Israel for you if that's what you want me to do so balum did so and balum found himself on the top of Mount peor and balum got to the top of Mount peor and he looked down at the nation of Israel the nation of Israel 600,000 people from two to 600,000 people to the glory of God how is that even possible you talk about be fruitful and multiply mathematically it's almost staggering what had to happen and many believe the 600,000 was just the men so the nation of Israel is large and frightening and terrifying and beautiful and we're going to start here this is numbers 24 now when balum saw so this is number 24 verse1 when bam saw that it pleased Yahweh when it pleased the lord to bless Israel he did not resort to divination as at other times but turned his face toward the Wilderness verse two when balum looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe so think of that at least 600,000 people maybe 2 million in Camp tribe by tribe the spirit of God came on him and he spoke his message the prophecy of balum son of Bor the prophecy of one whose eyes see clearly the prophecy of one who hears the words of God who sees a vision from the almighty Who falls prostrate and those whose eyes are opened now listen verse 5 how beautiful are your tents Jacob your Dwelling Places Israel like valleys they spread out like Gardens beside the river like allows planted by Yahweh like Cedars beside the waters water will flow from their buckets their seeds will have abundant water we're going to jump down to verse 9 like a lion they Crouch and lie down like a lioness who dares to Rouse them and you can picture Bao in the background going I paid you to curse them and this is what you're doing because he can't comprehend that the spirit of the Lord is speaking through balum he cannot conceive of this and here listen to the end and balam's blessing over the nation of Israel is the spirit of God speaks through him the end of verse 9 May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed the thread of God's promise is unbroken it is not just Abraham it is the nation of Israel and that power is still alive today and we're going to go not only here but we're going to jump ahead very quickly into Matthew and we're going to touch through Matthew and John very quickly and then we get into into Romans so in Matthew 15 this is this is uh well into Jesus ministry and this is just after he's approached the scribes and Pharisees because they're giving his disciples a hard time for eating with unwashed hands we all remember that where they grabbed some grain and they were hungry and they said hey I need to eat so we just got done with that so this is well into Jesus ministry and this is kind of this is an uncomfortable portion of scripture because it's something we don't really talk about because we we kind of want to well we know the end of the story so we don't want to really read the story we just we just know the end sometimes that's the way it is you know you're reading to kids it's like well I know this story I just want to get to the end you know and they want to turn the pages but this is an important part because it shows that the promise of God the promise of the abrahamic Covenant is still alive and well so we're going to read Matthew 15 start starting in verse 21 and Jesus went away from there and he withdrew to the district of tired and sidon and behold a Canaanite woman from that region remember Canaan the land that Abraham went and dwelt in were still in that land still in that tiny tiny strip of land Behold a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying have mercy on me oh Lord son of David my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon but he Jes Jesus did not answer her a word and his disciples came and begged him saying oh will you send her away she's crying out after us Lord she won't stop she's following us she just keeps going she keeps repeating she wants your attention and he said listen I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel now today sitting here we're we're nearing the end of the story we know the story right we know because of the sin of Israel we know because of the hardness of the heart of Israel the Disobedience that we now have access to the blood of Christ we know the end of the story but then they didn't his disciples didn't but Jesus spoke those words those are heavy words but she came and she heard that but listen to this Faith she came and knelt before him and said Lord help me and he answered is it not it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs so he even doubled down and said I'm here for Israel I'm not here to feed you he didn't say hey I got to go feed Israel I'll be right back he said no I'm not going to take the bread from the children and feed it to the dogs and listen now that's that's showing the thread of the promise and that yes Yeshua Jesus Christ was sent for the house of Israel and yes he did redeem us but the faith that she persisted is beautiful and I just wanted to go here because it's such a beautiful picture and she said just like just like a dog a faithful one who doesn't matter Lord I need you Lord I'm not going away she said yes Lord but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table and Jesus answered her and he said woman great is your faith be it done for you as you desire and her daughter was healed instantly and that's that's a beautiful picture of the faith that it takes the faith that it takes to overcome we take we come into Christ in faith now right she came to Christ when Christ was actually rejecting her because he had not come for the Gentiles yet Israel had not disowned him had not disobeyed had not sinned had not turned completely away from him and rejected him but she came and desired Christ Against All Odds Against All Odds and we can't comprehend Faith like that so I want to quickly jump over to to John John 4 and this is yeshua's encounter Jesus was sitting with the woman at the well after he revealed her sinful lifestyle to her in verse 20 she said our fathers worshiped in this mountain and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship and Jesus said unto Heroman believe me the hour comes when you shall neither in this mountain nor at Jerusalem worship the father you worship that which you know not but we worship that which we know for salvation is what salvation is of the Jews so what he's saying to us again we're at the nearing the end of the story it's obvious to us but he's saying that he as the Messiah came because he came for his people salvation of the world came because of the nation of Israel God revealed himself to the world because of the nation of Israel Jesus Christ the Messiah of the world came to save the world because of the nation of Israel salvation is of the Jews that thread of Promise the thread of Covenant that abrahamic Covenant is still strong it's still strong even when Christ was here it was still strong and that's what Drew Christ here and that's why he was sent and yes we're part of that family but that is the beauty that the Covenant is unbroken and I'm going to jump to Romans 11 I'm going to there were a couple I'm running out of time there's a couple Romans 1 even and Paul when he starts his letter to the Romans he said as I'm I'm unashamed he said I'm unashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to what to the Jew first and then to the Greek hello so even when Paul ministered there's you sense of hierarchy there's a there's an abrahamic Covenant there and Paul's reminding us even of that then he does it again in Romans 3 but we're going to jump to Romans 11 okay and this is a a familiar this is a familiar passage of scripture because this is the the natural Olive Tree and the branches so I'm just going to jump right into that because we know that the The Olive Tree is the n nation of Israel okay so we're going to start in verse 17 actually let me back up we we'll start in verse 16 if the dough offered as first fruits this is Yeshua Jesus he's talking about is Holy so is the whole lump Israel if the root is Holy so are the branches but if some of the branches these Jews were broken off and you Gentiles although Wild Olive Shute were grafted in among the others now share in the nourishing root of the Olive Tree do not be arrogant toward those branches remember it is not you who support the root but the root that supports you then you will say branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in yeah that's true Amen to the glory of God that's true they were broken off because of their un unbelief but you stand fast through faith so do not become proud but fear that's pretty heavy for if God did not spare the natural branches neither will he spare you note then the kindness and the severity of God severity toward those who have fallen but God's kindness to you and provided listen to this warning provided you continue in his kindness otherwise you too will be cut off and even if they if they do not continue in their unbelief they will be grafted back in for God has the power to graft them in again how Beauty how beautiful is that we're going to jump down to verse 25 lest you be wise in your own sight I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery Brothers a partial hardening has come upon Israel and Mark referred to that when he was reading through Hosea we know of the falling in and the falling out and the sin and Disobedience of Israel so here again Paul reveals let it not be a mystery there's a partial hardening come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles have come in we're part of that fullness of the Gentiles that is happening but until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in and in this way all Israel will be saved for it is written and he's quoting Isaiah 50 here the deliverer will come from Zion he will banish ungodliness from Jacob and this will be my Covenant with them when I take away their sins as regards the gospel they are estranged for your sake but as regards election as in being the chosen they are God's chosen people but as regards election they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers there's the abrahamic Covenant for electing they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers how beautiful is that God does not forget his people and Paul's reminding the Gentiles that God has not forgotten his people and he ends with this for the gifts and the calling of God are IR are irrevocable the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable God is not done with his people the nation of Israel are precious precious people to God they are still under his abrahamic Covenant God has not abandoned his people and I want to flip to uh back to I want to close Jeremiah I was going to read something else but I do want to close Jeremiah real quick because Jeremiah gives us a hint of when God's covenant with his people will end and this is a passage of scripture we talk about the New Covenant because Jeremiah 31 the new covenant's revealed this is where God says that I will take out a Heart of Stone and give them a heart of Flesh and I'm going to jump into Jeremiah 31:33 but this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days says Yahweh I will put my law in the inward parts and I'll write it on their hearts I will be their God and they shall be my people we love that verse we all know that verse those are bumper stickers and posters and a lot of churches have that verse all over and we quote it and we know it but listen to what comes in verse 35 thus says Yahweh which gives the Sun for light by day and the ordinances of the Moon and of the stars for a light by night which divides the the sea when the waves Roar the Yahweh Yahweh of hosts is his name listen to the if then the power of the if then in verse 36 if those ordinances the Sun the moon the stars the ocean if those ordinances depart from before me says Yahweh then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before me forever so when the very creation of God disappears and Falls away that's when he'll forget his nation in other words never he has one more if then in verse 37 thus says Yahweh If Heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath then I will cast off all of the seed of Israel for all that they have done said Yahweh can the heavens be measured absolutely not not even today and we find more year after year that they cannot be measured so the Lord is saying I will never abandon my people and tonight for us when we realize when we stand here today and we understand the importance of that Covenant and we understand that because of the Disobedience and the partial hardening of Israel that we get the blessing of being grafted into this tree how beautiful is that and we sit here and rejoice but I'll tell you our adopted family that natural Olive Tree is Going Through Hell the world is always trying to erase them from the face of the Earth because they are God's people and he will never abandon them till Heaven and Earth pass away he will never abandon them and when we leave here tonight I do want you I urge you to take the time to just visit that table and look at the names and the faces of the people who are suffering those are hostages that still have not been returned to their family they're breaking God's heart that breaks God's heart when he sees the hurt the pain and the loss we see that and and we get immune to it and we think well yeah they're they're always fighting they're always at war no those are God's people and Satan is trying to wipe them off the face of the Earth and God's word says I will never forget them I will never leave them until Heaven and Earth pass away they are mine so don't let anybody else try and tell you that God has done with his people because he is not done with his people to the glory of God he is not done with the nation of Israel to the glory of God he has not let them go he has not forgotten them and he loves them because he made a covenant with Abraham and I urge you to take part in that Covenant take part and get that blessing for yourself not that cursing let us bless the nation of Israel so please as we leave here tonight go and look and vow to remember names take some names with you and put some faces to that and before the Lord get on your knees for the nation of Israel because as we bless the nation of Israel we will be blessed because we are part of that Covenant that is alive and well today to the glory of an eternal God Amen all right let's pray and we're going to have um our tithing going around and I'd like to leave uh read from Luke 141 12-4 then Jesus said to his host when you have given a lunch on or dinner do not invite your friends your brothers or sisters your relatives or your Rich neighbors if you do they in might invite you back so you will be repaid but when you g give a banquet invite the poor the crippled the lame and the Blind and you will be blessed although they cannot repay you you will be repayed at the resurrection of the righteous and may God bless everyone here you know this money that we give it's only to further his kingdom and bless um those who don't receive blessings often so let's sing together the power of Your [Music] Love Lord I come to you let my heart be changed renewed flowing from the gra that I found in you Lord I've come to know the weaknesses I see in me will be Stripped [Music] Away by the power of your [Music] love oh G let your love suround me bring me near draw me to your side and I wa I'll rise up like the and I will soar with you your spirit leads me on and the power of Your Love Lord unveil my eyes let me see you face to face the knowledge of Your Love You live in me for renew my mind as your will unfold in my life living every day by the power of your love oh me close Let Your Love suround [Music] me BR me draw me to your side and as I waake I'll rise up like the he and I will s with you your leads me on in the power of your [Music] love praise God my dear friends so the service has come to the end and you know um it's it's interesting because this morning uh we we also heard a similar message message in the morning about how God has uh given a chance to the Gentiles you know to come because of the fall of Israel so we can see that the Lord is trying to tell us that we are lucky we are lucky and wow what a God what a loving God that he did not just save Israel because if that was his only goal where would we be be where would we be and thank you Lord for giving us a chance for repentance and for salvation praise God for that well my dear friends today like it has come to the end uh does anybody have any needs or thankfulness that they would like to share see this is a blessing right here can I get an amen this is a blessing right here amen okay okay let's pray Lord God we thank you for all your blessings that you show us Lord God you've been so good to us for revealing yourself to us Lord God that we can be with you God because you loved us too Lord Jesus God and we thank you and we honor you God for God for the Salvation that you gave to us Lord God Lord because without you we would be lost in this world and we thank you God for your love may your name be praised and glorified in Jesus name we pray amen thy father in heaven Hallowed Be Your Name Your Kingdom Come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread forgive us our sins for those who sinned against us lead us not into temptation but Deliver Us from the evil one for your kingom om your power and Glory forever are yours amen