The Covenant Journey (Genesis 12:1-9)
Rev. Kim Churl-Yeon
“1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: 'Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. 9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.”
Introduction
As you know that I was able to return back from LA to Dallas safely and I was able to bring all of my belongings here with no trouble as well. It is hard for a family to move and to move schools. It was a challenge, but Pastor Choi has helped us tremendously. In our general assembly, we see pastor Choi has a renowned and skilled pastor. There may be times where we will have to make big decisions and changes in our lives, and one of them is marriage. Another may be picking your major in college or choosing your friends as well as your business field. Those decisions and choices, they will cause a big change and results in your life and walk of faith. There is a reason why I am saying all of this. Within this church, you have made a big decision. I wonder if there is a church out that could have made a decision like you guys did. Starting this fall, within this beautiful church, this church will be offered to RU. This decision was not an easy decision but I think this will be most pleasing to God. Starting onward, I wonder what kind of blessings and evidences that God will give to you all within this church, and I am looking forward to this. You have made a decision that pleases God. This is a commemorative decision. I pray that this church will become a church that will raise disciples for world evangelism and become a platform for that. I don’t know what to share with you in this pulpit message. I want to share the grace that I received from the Headquarters (HQ) New Year’s message. God made and executed His plan for Israel's exodus and their entrance into Canaan. The Israelites were living as slaves to Egypt for 400 years and through the event of the Exodus, God delivered them from slavery on the day of the Passover and allowed them to enter Canaan. There is something important here. The Passover and Exodus events, from the beginning to the end, it was done by God. If it was done by God, then there was no mistake or failure in part. Then, why is it that the Israelites had complaints and grumbling against God in the wilderness for 40 years when they experienced the event of the Exodus and the 10 miracles? God promised them the covenant of Canaan during the time of Abraham to the Israelites.
Exodus 3:7-8 “And the Lord said: 'I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.' ” - Why is it called the covenant journey? God has spoken of His covenant and gave His covenant to His people, that is why it is called the covenant journey. Through today’s message, don’t lose hold of this. And don’t lose hold of the covenant journey that we must hold onto as a saved child of God. The covenant journey that we must hold onto is the journey that God planned, executed, and completed by Him. The moment we accept Christ, we have been freed from the law of sin and death. God takes complete responsibility of our covenant journey. This is God’s entire plan and grace. There can be no failure in God’s plan. Does God fail if we worry or become incapable when we have hardships? We must receive answers to this. We are people of God’s covenant and if we are walking down God’s covenant journey, then there is no thing as failure for us. No matter what problems or grumbling comes before us, all of this is within God’s hands. There is someone that gives us worries and that is Satan. He is a thief and liar. Satan will use our problems and hardships in our fields against us, and makes us grumble against God.
"Contract" and "covenant" are different - As you lived in America, when you buy a house, you have to sign a contract. We have to understand that a contract and a covenant are fundamentally different. When Abraham was called by God, God told him how to live. Was Abraham so great that he kept God’s covenant 100%? He was weak so he fell down many times and made mistakes. But did God become angry at Abraham? God continued to keep His covenant with Abraham. This is because God is faithful. We as humans, if we keep a contract, if one breaks it then that breaks the contract. Satan continues to deceive us to make us think our contract with God is a contract of this world. Then does that mean that if we live however we want, God will still keep His covenant with me? Abraham did pay consequences regarding his mistakes. God did keep His covenant but whatever mistakes Abraham made, Abraham did pay for his consequences. What is absolute is that there is a fundamental difference between a contract and a covenant.
The covenant journey is when you know Christ correctly, accept Him as your Lord and Savior, become a child of God, are delivered from the laws of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2*), and go to heaven.
Romans 8:1-2* “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
1. Make Your Past Into the Greatest Platform
1) God has changed our spiritual DNA
Our past may not be so great and we may not be so proud of, so how can we make our past into the greatest platform? That is possible because God has changed our spiritual DNA. The past has gone and the new has come as it is written in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” - Does our personality and life change once we are saved? Our spiritual DNA changes and our spiritual status from being a child of Satan to a child of God becomes changed. The Israelites always complained when they faced a problem. When they complained, one time, snakes and serpents came from the ground and many people died as a result. We have determined to live for the gospel but why does problems keep coming to us?
2) You are at crossroads when you are facing a problem. New opportunities will be found if you find the correct exit
If you focus on God's Word, a problem will be a new opportunity + The problem will be an opportunity to grow personally and spiritually - We may wonder what to do what with the problem but if we wonder this then we will always be deceived. The first thing, we must ask is what God’s plan is? God’s plan will always be 100% and 200% good for us. We must keep that in mind so when problems come, we won’t be wavered.
How must we think when problems come to us? When we are on the highway, we must make sure to exit out the right exit when we want to exit. Now, when we are in a problem, you may think it is important to make the right exit. You need to find the right exit. In other words, find God’s plan in it. If you find God’s exit, then that suffering and problem will become a blessing for us. In a few years, I will be 80 years old. Within the years that I have lived, I have seen people who suffered a lot but in the process, they have spiritually grown and matured. They are able to understand others, embrace others, and help them.
2. Make Today the Day of the Greatest Enjoyment
1) Acknowledge God's absolute sovereignty
There may be problems and crises in our lives, but the Bible has given us a way to enjoy them. First, we must enjoy and acknowledge God’s absolute sovereignty. Have you experienced so much hardship to the point of Job? Job lost all of his possessions and 10 of his children. Can you imagine that? But Job believed in God’s absolute sovereignty. Job confessed that God is the one who gives everything to him. Th Bible said that Job never sinned with his mouth and acknowledged God’s absolute sovereignty. Same thing with Joseph. Joseph’s brothers were afraid when Joseph became the governor of Egypt. His brothers thought that Joseph was going to seek revenge against them, but Joseph confessed that it was God who sent him before them in Egypt not his brothers in order to save them and God’s people. If you acknowledge God’s absolute sovereignty, then you will have no enemies. There may be people who may gossip against you and people may mock you but if you dwell within that then that will just hurt you more. You need to overcome that. How can you do that? Enjoy God’s absolute sovereignty. Through those people, God is training you so that what they do to you will not become a scar to you. Acknowledging God’s absolute severity is so important. Then, you will not be deceived no matter what comes your way.
2) If you believe that answers lie with God, you will receive answers if you pray in concentration.
3) See all things from the covenantal perspective, just like Joshua and Caleb
The 12 spies that Moses sent were great people and they were chosen from each tribe. But because of the words of the 10 spies, the Israelites fell into unbelief. But Joshua and Caleb said the opposite. All of the 12 were great renowned people but why did 10 of them say words of unbelief? The 10 out of the 12 spies said exactly what they observed. I have been to Israel myself and the 12 spies that they sent, what they said was correct. What you always see is not always the answer. What you may see in the reality, you need to see it as the reality but that is not the complete answer. What was the difference between the 10 spies and Joshua and Caleb? Joshua and Caleb saw Canaan within the eyes of God’s covenant. They knew that God would lead them into the land of Canaan that was overflowing with milk and honey. They kept God’s covenant in their minds and reported back God’s covenant to the people of Israel. For the people who understood the natural climate of Israel, they may say that Joshua and Caleb gave inaccurate reports but those who listened to the report of the reality of Canaan, none of them were able to enter into Canaan. But those who saw the reality but held onto God’s covenant, they were able to enter into Canaan and conquered it. In your family, you may fight with your spouse and within your family members. Also within your workplace, there may be conflict. Do you think they spoke in a covenantal way? They spoke honestly like the 10 spies but they failed in the end. People see the reality of the problem which is full of truth and honesty but that truth and reality of the situation may not give peace to the family. We must find an important answer today. Even if we speak realistically and honestly, that is not the answer. When we look at our family, workplace, and church, we must find the answer within God’s covenant. Then, we can save everyone and help them. We are always experiencing this within our daily lives. Are we going to talk like the 10 spies or are we going to speak within God’s covenant like Joshua and Caleb? I pray that you will have a new turning point in your life today.
3. Draw the Greatest Picture For Your Future
1) If you have the heart and the desire to please the Lord, God will grant you the greatest blessings for your future.
Direct your future and life within God’s hand. That is the great blessing and picture. Elder Cho was praying and was asking why we must live, and we must find that reason. The reason why we are living is to find God’s plan.
Philippians 2:13 “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” and Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” - Those who hold onto and believe in God’s promise then you will experience it. We can build different bartizans inside of us.
2) Build the bartizan that shines the light
Verses 7-8 - Just as Abraham had success in worship, you must also succeed in personal worship and personal prayer - Abraham was someone who had success in worship. The common characteristics of those who are used greatly by God, they were successful in personal worship and prayer. They also put their life focus on missions and evangelism. These people played the role of a bartizan that saved all people. I have been praying that God’s will and plan will become my will and plan. If this becomes our plan and will, then what will God do for you? God will use you and make your future into a great picture.
3) If you want to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit well, it is necessary to focus on the Word and prayer.
Conclusion
God will guide you in your covenant journey from the day you start your Christian life until you enter heaven. Our life journey that we are living in, we are doing it by ourselves but it is directed and completely led by God. If you plan your life, it may end in failure but if God plans it, it will never fail. Whatever problem comes to us, we shouldn’t look towards others and ourselves but pray about it. Then you will find assurance. No matter what problem comes, it is okay. This is because God never fails. All we have to do is find God’s plan. If we do this, then Satan cannot do anything against you. The devil will give you unbelief. The key to never losing to unbelief and having victory is to live the life of concentrating on worship, the Word, and prayer. How can you have victory and not be overcome by problems and turn into unbelief? We must enter into concentration in worship and word of God, and we need to be in training. When we look at this church, I can see that you guys always sharing the word of God and messages on the church Kakaotalk chatroom. In order to stay in training of God’s word, I can see that assistant pastor Sarah gives you content and prayer topics to do that. This is because we need to be in a path where we can continue to receive training to stay inside of God’s word and prayer. Training may be a hard process but if you receive training properly, then the results will be tremendous. All of the training you receive may be challenging but it will be great help to your walk of faith. That training will make your past into your greatest platform. That training will enable you to change your problems of today into the greatest enjoyment. If you continue to receive training, then your future will turn into the greatest blessings. I bless you that you will receive evidence and this will be your testimony and blessing for you.
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