THESE STONES: JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST
Abraham's Seed Would Be Heir of the World
In Matthew 3:9, "And think not
to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto
you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto
Abraham".
God had made a promise to Abraham that he would be heir of the world. Romans 4:13 "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."
One of my favorite passages is Genesis 13: 14, "And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever."
SALVATION
Why is that such an integral part of my life? It is because that is what salvation is all about. It is about the promised land that God has given to us. Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. That promise today is not just to the natural seed of Abraham but it is to us the Gentiles. That is what John was saying right there in the ninth verse. He said, (Matthew 3:9 - I'll read the last part) "for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones (these stones had a "s") to raise up children unto Abraham." The first part: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father:
Just because they were the natural seed of Abraham didn't mean they were the only ones that were going to receive that because he said, "God is able of these stones"...these stones were the Gentile race. Thank God for that.
IT ALL CAME THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST
Where would we be if God had not turned to us. It all came through the blood of Jesus Christ. God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. Verse 10, "And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, (speaking of Jesus Christ) whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:.
What John did was only unto repentance. What Jesus did was to cleanse us. When we repent we can actually be cleansed. Everything can be washed away. Thank God for Jesus Christ.
You know, God had blessed Job with many blessings in life. It was amazing the things that Job had. Job was a perfect man and was upright. Job 1:1, "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
HOW TO GET GOD'S BLESSINGS
If you want God's blessings, Job Chapter 1:1, will let you know how you can get them. You've got to be an upright person. Proverbs 2:21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. That is what we want to be is perfect with God. The only way we can do that is through Jesus Christ and by the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Back to these stones, Job had went through a lot in life. Everything that he had to suffer, all of the pains that he suffered was a lot. He had lost a lot of his family. He lost a lot of his blessings that he had. God had given him many sheep, the camels were about three thousand. He had five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses and a very great household. He had a lot in his life but there was some destruction that came Job's way. He lost all of his children. He lost all of his cattle, sheep and the houses that they lived in.
He had gotten to the point that he just wanted to die. He wanted God to take him out.
FRIENDS TRIED TO CONSOLE JOB
Three of his friends actually tried to console him but one in particular, El'-i-phaz came and brought him encouragement. This is what he told him in Job 5: 17 - 24...Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: 18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: (you can see he was trying to tell him that God might take this away,and you may be going through a problem today) he woundeth, and his hands make whole. 19 He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. 20 In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword. 21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. (this man was about to tell him something very special.)
22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. 23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee 24 And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.
I hope the verse (23 "For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field:" has captured your attention. This "league of the stones of the field"...he was in a certain group that was called for a certain purpose.
___________________________________________________________________________
From Part 2 of "These Stones" with Pastor Stoney Kiser
God had told Abraham that his seed would be heir of the world. I believe that is where heaven will be when it is all said and done. He said he would take the curse off of the earth and that the throne of God would be in it. So, if you want to make heaven your home...you need to be heir of the world. You need to be joint heirs with Christ.
To see the entire sermon, watch "A Moment of Truth" with Stoney Kiser -"These Stones" Part 1
>>>To find out more about the church, please visit www.lookupnlive.net.