Book of Genesis - Ch. 24, Vs. 51-67 (01/03/2016)

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Bro. Bill Nichols

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One more one more cup Yeah, yeah,
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I hear it now it won't I'll get up a little closer to it
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Okay Well, it's seems to have kicked off brother
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Dave It it said 68 and it it was it was a little bit uncomfortable when
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Clarence and I came in this morning too hot Yeah, because it was there's there was a lot of warm air coming down and he and I are kind of cold natured anyhow
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Well, yeah We we turned the lot of things off.
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Yes Yeah, well and yeah, it'll be nice and cool by the time you get up here
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Okay, we're still in Genesis 24 and we're now about to verse 51
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But before we begin let's take a moment for prayer most gracious Heavenly Father Thank you for this day and thank you for our many blessings
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Thank you for giving us this place where we come together and meet and study your word And thank you for giving us the
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Holy Spirit to guide us and to teach us those things that we individually need to be taught
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Blesses and keep us and go forward into the next service in Jesus name. We pray. Amen So verse 31 51
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Behold Rebecca is before thee take her and go and let her be thy master's son's wife as the
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Lord has spoken That's Laban speaking for the family of Bethuel He probably knowing
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His nature sees an opportunity for some sort of financial gain
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But whatever the reason he gives his permission as does Bethuel Rebecca's father
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And he came to pass that when Abraham's servant heard their words He worshipped the Lord bowing himself to the earth.
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So once again Eleazar worships and gives thanks to the Lord and The servant brought forth jewels of silver and jewels of gold and And gave them to Rebecca and he also gave to her brother and her mother precious things
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So that's his dowry by these gifts. Now. Rebecca is officially betrothed to Isaac And now he had said
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I'm not going to eat or drink until We finish our business and so now they've done and so they did eat and drink and he and the men that were with him
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And they tarried all night and they arose in the morning and he said send me away to my master the custom was
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And courtesy was that a visitor be dismissed by the host
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So he had to get permission from Laban and Bethuel to leave
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And her brother and her mother said let the damsel Abide with us for a few days at least ten after that She shall go
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Now as I was looking through this after miss Karpiak made the comment that she made last week
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I saw that John Calvin Addressed this and he said thus although he conducted himself as an honest and prudent servant
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It is still not to be doubted that the Lord impelled him for Isaac's sake to act as he did
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So the Lord watches over his own people while they sleep Expediates and accomplishes their affairs in their absence and influences the disposition of all so far as is expedient to render them assistance
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It is by forced interpretation that some would explain the ten days During which
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Laban and his mother desired the departure of Rebecca to be deferred as meaning years or months
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A lot of the scholars say well, it wasn't ten days She was asking for it was ten years or ten months and so Calvin said well
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You got to really force a stretch of the text to make it say that and what he said was
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It was merely the tender wishes of a mother who could ill bear that her daughter should suddenly be torn
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Away from her bosom. So she was a parent. So Calvin is apparently an exact What you would you say
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Agreement with mrs. Karpiak who said I can't can't imagine the
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I can't imagine the angst of a mother losing her daughter maybe to never see her again, this would be a you know, it take a little bit a little bit of getting used to and So I think they were in agreement
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But he said unto them hinder me not seeing that the Lord has prospered my way Send me away that I may go
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To my master and they said we will call the damsel and inquire at her mouth
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Now at the time of John Calvin There were many arranged marriages and a lot of women took husbands
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Upon the insistence of their family husbands that they didn't really want now. We don't do it that way
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Now the ladies take husbands that in spite of their parents wishes
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And and we all want to say we all want to say Golly gee whiz if you guys would just listen to the voice of the elders you would make better decisions
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But that wasn't the day then So here's what Calvin said about that Bethuel who had before unreservedly given his daughter in marriage
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Seems to adhere but only so far as he was able He did not exercise tyranny over his daughter
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But compelled her to marry and compelled her to marry against her will but left her to her own free choice
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Truly in this matter the authority of parents ought to be considered but a middle course Is to be pursued so that the party's concern may make their contract
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Spontaneously and with mutual consent So what he was saying is, you know, you need the children need to take the advice of their parents
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But they also need to make the choices and I think that's a good thing. I think I think he was spot -on and They called
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Rebecca and said unto her will thou go with this man? And she said
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I will go Rebecca saw that the affair was transacted by the authority of her father and With the consent of her mother and so she herself acquiesced in it
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Now that's the thrust of the story as it's presented here, but there's also the model to be considered
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Her choice was not really free as no choice is ever truly free all choices are influenced by something or by someone in this instance
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Rebecca was influenced by her training and that led her to obey the wishes of her parents
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So insofar as the model goes we have something more we have irresistible grace
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Those that are called and chosen of the father really have no choice except but to obey and They sent away
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Rebecca their sister and her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men And They blessed
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Rebecca and said unto her thou art our sister Be thou the mother of thousands of millions and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them
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Now that was a prophecy the Lord directed their tongues to utter a prophecy of Which they themselves were ignorant.
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They had no idea that this was something that God had already said was going to be the case
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To possess the gates of the enemy means dominion over the city if one possessed the gates he had control over it because that's where the judgments of the city were made and that's where the defenses of the city were centered and Rebecca arose and her damsels and they rode upon the camel and They followed the man and the servant took
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Rebecca away and went his way Now don't you give some thought to this I got a question for you now
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No Noah Where that came from Rebecca had a nurse and She had at least two dad damsels said her damsels.
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So there was a nurse in Italy. So there's at least three servants That went with Rebecca There obviously way more servants than those three she didn't take all the
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Servants of the household of Bethuel So, what was Rebecca doing at the well drawing water
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Do you think it was a? Common occurrence or was this a special occasion? How often do you think
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Rebecca went to get water? I?
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think with with having at least three mates and The family having a dozen of servants.
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I don't think she ever went to get water except this one time Now that's just me maybe she went that day because the
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Lord made certain that she was there Maybe that is the only reason she went to get water that day.
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So it was even more of a Miracle that she was there getting water at that well that day when she had never gone there before maybe
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Do you think do you really think she had gone get the water or should have sent a servant? They do we look that up about about 50 gallons
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Each Yeah, and you're drawing for 10 camels
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So yeah, it was so it was a it was a miracle that she was even there I think and then it was a miracle that she watered the camels.
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So it was a double miracle just in that God put the words in her mouth and God put her at the well
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It's what I think. I believe that the Lord always puts the elect in The proper place at the proper time under the proper circumstances in order to make their election sure
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So when you when you have the people to say well, what about the person in deepest darkest Africa that has never
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Come in contact with the Spirit, how do you account for their? Being held accountable
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They're not being elect if God if they were elect God would have put them in the proper place at the proper time under the proper circumstances
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So that they would be so their election would be sure. I think so and So we're gonna see not only was not only was
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Rebecca in the right place at the right time But in just a few minutes Isaac is going to be in the right place at the right time verse 62
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I'm practicing and as it came from the way of the whale
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Leheroy It's comes from the word bear
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LaRoy which means the whale of the living one seeing me
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That was where The handmaiden of Abraham found the water
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When she and her and Ishmael were in the desert.
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It's also the place where the children of Israel paused before going into the land of The promised land.
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I don't know if there's a special significance to that But I thought it was interesting that at least three major major events happened there
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And so and Isaac came from the way of the well of LaRoy For he dwelt in the
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South Country It's located. The whale is located on the Palestine Egyptian border about 25 miles northwest of Kaddish Barney and that's where the
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Children of Israel camped while they sent out the spies And that's where Isaac is going to live after Abraham's death
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We'll see that in the next chapter that after the death of Abraham the
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Lord blessed his son Isaac and Isaac dwelt by the whale LaRoy and so verse 63
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Isaac went out to meditate in the field at even time and he lifted up his eyes and he saw and behold
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The camels were coming now The name
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Isaac has in fact being mentioned At least one time earlier than this when
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Abraham sent for a wife for his son But this is the first mention of the presence of Isaac since he was left on top of Mount Moriah back in Genesis 22
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We see nothing of his presence from the time of his event on Mount Moriah which is in effect the
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Deliverance of him from death or his resurrection if you will to the time he's united with his bride and it's
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Instructive I think to see the coming together of Isaac and Rebecca as a picture of the coming together of Jesus and his church
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Let's just look at some things in both Isaac and Jesus we see the following a father desires a bride for his son
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To the Sun was accounted for dead Jesus on the cross and Isaac when
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Abraham Took him away on the three -day journey to Mount Moriah by the way, the
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Lord's journey from the cross to His resurrection was also three days, wasn't it?
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The Sun both of them were raised from the dead Jesus literally and Isaac figuratively a
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Nameless servant is sent forth to get a bride for the Sun now. We have identified him
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We think as Eliezer, but we may be wrong about that He has never explicitly named as his as the servant and that is in keeping with the nature of the
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Holy Spirit being the unnamed one of the Trinity The the
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Holy Spirit never speaks in his own name. He always speaks in the name of Jesus and Eliezer here is speaking in the name of actually the father
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In Eliezer's case the unnamed named servant is most likely Eliezer and that means
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God of help or helper or the comforter and In Jesus's case the servant was the
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Holy Spirit actually referred to as the comforter The the bride is met by divine
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Intervention. She is chosen and elect by divine intervention and then she is lavished with gifts
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The bride is entrusted to the care of the servant and who she meets the bridegroom There's one other thing.
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I'd like to mention the way Isaac and Rebecca came to each other is instructive Neither was seeking a mate
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Isaac may have been in some sense, but it was at the initiation of Abraham We don't know about Rebecca.
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We don't know what she was doing But we know at least that Isaac was serving
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God and seeking him Isaac was meditating in the fields It was the action of God that brought them together
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They didn't come together because he said wow, there's this nice lady of my kin in Mesopotamia that I'm going to go visit
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God brought them together We don't know how or why
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God took Isaac away from home and took him to the well at La Haraway where Hagar Entertained and he countered the angel of the
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Lord, but he was in the right place at the right time Meeting the caravan returning with his bride
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John MacArthur in his commentaries suggest that perhaps he was prayerfully Contemplating the circumstances of his life and the void left by his mother's death
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Which we find in verse 67 As well as thinking about and hoping that the steward would not return from a failed mission mission
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And I think that's probably true But I think something simpler is also in play
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I Believe that the Lord always puts his people in the proper place at the proper time under the proper circumstances
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So that his will is always done He orders thy steps and Then there's also the the passion with you the dice cast into the lot, but the
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Lord determines the outcome of of it and Rebecca lifted her eyes and when she had when she saw
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Isaac she lighted off the camel For she had said unto the servant. What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us?
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And the servant had said it is my master. Therefore. She took a veil and covered herself The custom of the day was for the prospective bride to be covered by a veil in the presence of her future husband it was also unacceptable for a woman to be mounted on a camel or any other thing and Interact with a man on the ground it's like when the when the boss calls you into the
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Into the office and he's sitting at the chair. He doesn't start talking to you till you sit down He doesn't allow you to stand in him to see it.
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It's a matter of Authority and if you if you'll ever notice his seat is always higher than yours
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So that you're always looking up to him That's the reason the altar stuff and the churches aren't elevated to to give that kind of a perspective
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And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done So Isaac knows that this is the woman his father's agent has selected for his bride and Isaac brought her to his mother
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Sarah's tent and took Rebecca and she became his wife and he loved her and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death
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All right John MacArthur also said this he thus established his acceptance of her as his wife
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Before he had seen her beauty He didn't know what she looked like. She was veiled and When he did see her he loved her
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Okay, so let's kind of sum up what we've dealt with so far with regard to Rebecca Isaac Jesus and the church first Rebecca and the church
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Both were chosen for marriage before they were aware of the choice In Rebecca's case back in Genesis 22, it came to pass
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It says after these things that he was told this is after he was on the Mount Moriah Abraham was on Mount Moriah It was told
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Abraham saying behold milk Yeah She hath born children unto thy brother Nahor and it goes through a list of brothers and then it comes down to Bethuel And then it says and Bethuel begat
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Rebecca That's the only possible bride listed in this chronology of names
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And then in 24 it says But thou shall go unto my country and unto my kindred and take a wife unto my son
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Isaac now Who's he sending for? The only available bride he knows
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Rebecca So when he sends for a wife, he's sending for Rebecca Now listen to this in about regarding the church in Ephesians, this is visions 1 verses 3 and 4
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Bless me the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
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According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world
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That we may be holy and without blame before him in love. So there's your connection
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Rebecca was chosen before She had any awareness of the choice and the church was certainly aware.
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I'm sorry. Sorry certainly chosen before it was aware It was chosen before time began
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So they may be holy and without blame before him holy means separate You know,
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I used to think holy meant something Special and it is something special but it's it's separate and different from the world so his elect are separate and different from the world from the beginning and Why are we but and why are we without blame because Jesus bore the blame for us
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Both Rebecca and the church were necessary for the accomplishment of God's eternal purpose
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Rebecca as a bride for Isaac and the mother of a great host of people the church in Ephesians 3 verse 9 and to make all men see
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What is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world had been hid in God who created all?
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things by Jesus Christ Someone asked me not too long ago and I can't remember who it was
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Was the church Mentioned in the Old Testament What do you think was the church mentioned in the
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Old Testament, how would you answer that? When I bet that if that verse is in Ephesians, that's in the new chapter
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Okay, so so I think I think mrs. Mitchell has got the answer that I wanted Yes, it is, but not in a way that the people of the day
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Recognized it and why didn't they see it? We can see it because the
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Holy Spirit revealed it to us They couldn't see it because why couldn't they see it?
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From the beginning of the world it had been hidden God they couldn't see because God didn't let him see it
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They could they could have read this passage a thousand times. Mr. Mitchell had not seen a connection between the church
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They didn't even know the they didn't even have the concept of the church. It was totally unknown to them
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That's why the when the the Jews look at the Bible they look at the
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Old Testament and they don't see the church at all And To make men to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery?
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Which is which from the beginning of the world had been hidden God who created all things in by Jesus Christ to the intent that now
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Unto the principalities and powers and heavenly places might be known by the church the metaphoral wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our
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Lord in whom we have boldness and Access with confidence by the faith of him by whose faith
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Because Christ say I can't see I can't read any more brother
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David that without Reinterpreting what it's saying. I think that is another case of the fact not my faith in Jesus, but Jesus is faith in me and that's totally different way
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Not that not that Jesus has faith in me doing something right But Jesus is faith is placed into me so that I can see the things he wants me to say
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His faith, it's his faith. Not my faith Uh -huh
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Next both are destined to share in the glory of the Son. I Couldn't resist going to John 17 verse 9.
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This is a prayer of the Lord You know, we have we have the Lord's Prayer that we call the
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Lord's Prayer it really is not the Lord's Prayer This is it and I picked it up kind of in the middle in verse 9
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I pray for them I Pray not for the world
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But for them thou has given me For they are thine and all mine are thine and that are mine and I am glorified in them now
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He's talking right now about his direct 11 remaining disciples, but he's going to expand that before we get through and Now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world and I come to thee
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Holy Father Keep through thine own name those Thou has given me that they may be one as we are while I was with them in the world
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I kept them in thine name Those that thou givest me I kept and lost of them
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I'm sorry, I kept and none of them is lost but the son of perdition That the scriptures might be fulfilled.
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He was Destined from the beginning not to be of the elect. He was a non -elect from the beginning
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And Now I come to thee and these things I speak in the world That they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves
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I have given them thy word and the world has hated them Because they are not of the world even as I am
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NOT of the world if you wonder why Christians have always been persecuted by the world.
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It's because they're not of the world. I Pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world
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But that but that thou should keep us them from the evil and I added here my own word the evil one
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Not to keep them from evil, but to keep them from the evil one That's the why the word the is in front of the word evil
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They are not of the world even as I am NOT of the world sanctify them through thy truth thy word is truth
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As thou has sent me into the world even so I have also sent them into the world and for their sakes
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I sanctify myself that they Might also be sanctified
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Through the truth. And now here's the first that we all Take delight in Neither pray
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I for these alone But for them also which shall believe on me through their words
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So the disciples are going to go out. They're going to spread the word in through the word that they spread
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People will be exposed to the truth and those that are elect will choose To believe they will choose and they will believe
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And I kind of got that awkwardly worded We all understand that it is not the choice that I make that makes me believe
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It is the choice that God made To have me be one of the elect that allows me the ability to make the choice to believe
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Otherwise I couldn't And I know
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I'm preaching to the choir here. We all I don't I don't see any anyone here that has less
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Of a feeling of the sovereignty of God than I do Yeah, that's right you all have more at least as much or more of the feeling of the sovereignty of God as I do
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That they may all be one as thou father are in me and I in thee and they also
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May be one in us that the world may believe that thou has sent me and the glory
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Which thou gave us me I giveth them That they may be one even as we are one
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I in them Thou and me that they may be perfect in one and that the world may know that thou has sent me and has loved
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Them as thou has loved me Father I will that they also whom thou has given me be with me where I am
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That they be behold my glory Which has been which thou has given me for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world.
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Oh Righteous father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known thee that thou has sent me
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But these have known that thou sent me and I've declared unto them thy name
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And I will declare it that the love for with thou has loved me may be in them and I in them now that is a wonderful prayer
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We need we we really do that that's That's where we stand and the only reason we stand
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Going back to Rebecca and the church both of them learn of the Son through his representative Rebecca through Eliezer the church through the
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Holy Spirit They both must leave behind all they know
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With the joy to be with the Son Rebecca left everything she knew and went to Isaac And we're telling we have to leave behind everything we've got to and both are loved and cared for by the
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Son now look at the Contrast between or the comparison of Isaac and Jesus both were promised before their coming
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Both appeared at the time they were appointed Both were conceived and born miraculously
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Isaac to a woman that was way past bearing age at 90 years old the
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Lord to a virgin Both was given a special name
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Before their birth Isaac laughter or joy Jesus The Savior of his people
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Both were offered up in sacrifice by their father In a sense both were brought back from the dead
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Both prepared a place for their bride Isaac his mother's tent and Let's go to John 14
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John 14 started verse 1. This is kind of my
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Verse for today. Let not your heart be troubled.
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You believe in God believe also in me In my father's house are many mansions.
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If it were not so I would have told you I Go to prepare a place for you.
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And if I go and Prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also
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Let not your heart be troubled most gracious Heavenly Father These are indeed troubling times
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But we're not troubled we believe the word of your son and we're securing the knowledge that he has prepared a place for us a
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Place better in every way that we can possibly imagine We know that having prepared this place
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He will certainly see that we occupy it We recall the words of Jesus.
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I Have given them the word and the world hath hated them because they are not of the world
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Even as I am not of the world. I Pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world
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But that should just keep it them from the evil one They are not of the world
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Even as I am not of the world.
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We give thanks to you for all our many blessings both here and in the hereafter
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Go with us and keep us as we continue with this morning services in Jesus name we pray
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Amen Well, we're like ten minutes early So I'm open to discussion or we can shut down and let brother
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Davey get On with his program on time for once Mm -hmm
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Have you have you ever met a
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Jew Have you I asked you a question I said have you ever met a
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Jew Have you ever met a Jew? Have you ever run into a Jew out on the street? Yeah, have you ever met any trust yet?
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What about a Hittite What about an Assyrian they're the different the
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That's right. They're different people And how could that possibly be
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It couldn't be without divine intervention because they were set apart part of the rules was to make that happen
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But it would have happened anyhow, they didn't keep the rules they'd happen anyhow, didn't it? Well, so did the guy in?
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Esther Yeah, that was a
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By bail bail