Physical with Spiritual

Physical things with Spiritual Implications

Genesis 15:1–6 “1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

I am thy shield

I am thy exceeding great reward

2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

What wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless

there is a steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

You have not done your part

maybe there you want to do it another way

4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

The Lord comes to him and says: No I meant what I said, it will come from thine own bowels

Get this:

We believe God… and then we try to figure out How God is going to do what we believe God said

Do you think Abram is thinking this is a little impossible?

5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

VERY NEXT VERSE

Genesis 15:8 KJV 1900

8 And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

How?

Prove it?

You gotta catch this scene:

Abram just asked God to tell him HOW are you going to do this?

And God said:

Genesis 15:9 KJV 1900

9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

Where in the Bible are all the descriptions of how and what and when to do offerings?

Is that book in time before or after Abraham?

Genesis 15:10 KJV 1900

10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

He was Obedient

Genesis 15:11 KJV 1900

11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

Can you imagine what this must have been like?

In Ukraine: They leave food for the spirits, they drink with the dead

In the Mexican Culture they leave food for the spirits too

I wish it would have been like it was for Gideon

Judges 6:16–21 KJV 1900

16 And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. 17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. 18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again. 19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. 20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

Just for reference this is also before Leviticus

It could not have been very powerful to be sitting there with these dead animals shewing away the bird from eating your offering your sacrafice to God

Have you every been there?

Physical Things that Have Spiritual Implications

The Lord’s Supper

Baptism

Circumcision

Shaving heads

Making a Physical Offering

Music

Zack Effron

Romans 4:1 KJV 1900

1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

Romans 4:2–4 KJV 1900

2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

What works was Abraham justified by? In the context Circumcision

What saith the scripture? Faith

Now to him that worketh

We use this a lot

I think we use it so much toward our brethren, we forget it is to us too

reward vs debt

Remember Gen 15:1 I am thy reward

debt is something that is owed, it si something we can hold over God’s head saying: I did this you owe me

God I annointed the sick with oil… you need to heal them

God I got baptized… so I am saved now

God I prayed the words in Jesus Name so the demon needs to come out

I fasted so you have to answer my prayer

Lord I went to Mecca so you must

I shouted Alla Akbar so you must

I never killed any bugs, or cows or so when I come back you must

Watch Pauls argument - To Jewish People who believe that because Abraham is their father because they were circumcised

Romans 4:5–13 KJV 1900

5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. 9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: 12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. 13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

What is Happening:

The Jewish people have taken something Physical (Circumcision) and made it something Ritualistic, Ceremonial, Something of Debt

Paul’s point is a simple one: What came first the chicken or the egg, What came first the Faith or the Cicumcision

We do the same thing: We like our Jewish counterparts have turned “made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.” Matt 15:6

I am going to try and humanize it for a minute:

Valentines Day

On Valentines Day my wife never knows if she is going to get Roses or not!!

Does it mean the same to her if it is an obligation?

a couple of weeks ago I bought Wegmans penfield out of red roses. I brought home 5 dozen red roses for Katya and one for Isabella. Why… because I love her

Was the Roses the important part, or was it the sentiment behind them?

She didn’t do anything to earn the flowers

I didn’t do it out of some ceremonial obligation

It was just love

How is your devotional Time?

Is it done out of obligation, where if you put in the time God has to speak with you

In a minute we are going to take the Lord’s Supper

Tradition for sure

Cermonial for sure

What is the sentiment

Things done in the Physical have Spiritual Implications… for sure.

1 Corinthians 11:23–30 KJV 1900

23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.