This is an edited version of the lecture titled, "To Abraham and His Seed," which was preached on April 14th, 2007.   Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say,  "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one,  "And to your Seed," who is Christ.     Galatians 3:16       Get Out of Your Country, From Your Family and From Your Father's HouseLet's first turn to the letter to the Galatians chapter 3 verse 15.   Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.  (Verses 15-20)   For the past year and a half, I gave lectures about Genesis chapters 1 through 11. They were titled, "In the Beginning." From now on, I will be lecturing about Genesis chapter 12 and the following chapters. Since they talk about what happened at the time when Abraham lived, it was not appropriate to call these lectures, "In the Beginning." I was asked to give them another title, and I asked that they be called, "To Abraham and His Seed." I had a reason for choosing this title. It is that this is the core of the Bible - to Abraham and His Seed.  Recently, I had some trying experiences. As they caused me worries and anguish, I reflected upon my experiences and pain in light of the lives that brothers and sisters have lived. I asked myself if the difficulties that I faced were meant to give me a hard time. Then, I thought to myself that these difficulties must have been given to me  in order that I might understand the hearts of many brothers and sisters around me, because I am someone who is incapable of understanding them if I do not experience them myself.In the same way, with regard to the many events in the life of this one person, Abraham, were these events recorded just so that we might worship him as the father of faith? Most certainly not. God chose Abraham in advance and showed us his life, so that, through the life of Abraham as recorded in the Bible, we might understand more easily the nation of Israel and the events that it has experienced and the events that it will experience in the future.God put Abraham through various experiences in order to explain the experiences of the one Person that would appear from the seed of Abraham. Therefore, the Bible says, "Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your Seed,' who is Christ." Genesis chapter 12, which we are about to study, premises that the main character is Jesus Christ. I ask that you bear this in mind as you read the Bible. We will turn to Genesis chapter 12.   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."  (Verse 1)   At the time, Abram was living in Ur of the Chaldeans with his father, Terah. The region of Ur of the Chaldeans is in the vicinity of a city called "Basrah," which is in the southeast of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. Historically speaking, this region is where there was the Tower of Babel-which appears in Genesis chapter 11 - and where there will be the Babylonian empire, which was in the center of the terrible event that will take place in the future. It refers to a place that actually exists in this world. Of course, Babylon is not in the same location as Ur of the Chaldeans, but they are essentially in the same area.Abram, who used to live in this region of Ur of the Chaldeans, leaves that land and heads west. He takes a path that is in the shape of the crescent moon as he heads towards the present-day land of Israel, the land that the Old Testament scriptures refers to as the land of Canaan.If we carefully think about how Abram lived his life, it helps us a great deal as we read on further in the Bible. In Revelation chapter 18, we come across a certain terrifying image. We do not know if it is a nation or a certain power, but Babylon appears in the image of a harlot. But God 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." (Genesis 12:1) This commandment was given to Abram after he had left Ur of the Chaldeans and was already in Haran. However, God brought Abram's family out of Ur of the Chaldeans with the intention of bringing Abram to the land of Canaan. Revelation chapter 18 talks about terrifying events that will take place during the seven years of the great tribulation, which marks the last years of man's rule of the world. This will happen just before Jesus comes to Israel for the second time and establishes the kingdom of heaven in this world. In this context, there is a verse that is similar to what we read in Genesis.   "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues."  (Revelation 18:4)   This is how the Bible describes what happens after the complete return of the people of Israel and towards the end of the preparations for Jesus Christ to return to this world. As such, many events in the Bible are very closely related to the incidents that already occurred to people in the Bible - like Abram - experienced long ago.  After Abram had received the command to go to Canaan, he came to enter the land of Canaan and live there. Then, after a long time, the people of Israel once again returned to Babylon. God asks that the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah account for their sins. The people of Israel are taken captives and they come to be in exile in Babylon. The people of the nation that was established through this one person called Abram - who left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan - return to the land from which he came. Then, many years later, they return to Israel again. Although they returned to their land, they did not have the sovereign right or a political system; they were ruled by the Babylonian empire, then the Greeks, and then the Romans. It was then that Jesus came and performed miracles, and they persecute Jesus Christ.The words, "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you," also apply to the time when Jesus was born into this world. As the Bible says, "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:6-7), when the time came, God the Father commanded God the Son, to go to the sinful world, and Jesus was born into this sinful world through a woman's body. As such, many events that were to take place later in the Bible were hidden in this brief incident of God giving a command to this one person called Abram.The reason I am telling you this is that the same is true for each of us.  That is not to say that we are special, but it is through the events that happen to us as individuals that we come to reflect upon ourselves in a way that we do not in our every day lives and that we come to fathom the hardships and worries of other brothers and sisters. God allows our hearts and our lives to have an opportunity to think about how precious it is for brothers and sisters to live together.   Go to the Land that I Will Show YouAbram left Ur of the Chaldeans and headed towards the west.When the high priests took blood and walked towards the Most Holy Place, they walked towards the west. This was because the Most Holy Place was located in the west. In Exodus, it says that God commanded Moses to "Kill it at twilight" (12:6). Also, when Jesus was nailed on the cross, dark night suddenly came upon the land. And when the sun sets towards the west, the sky becomes red, as if to show the blood that Jesus Christ shed. Th

정회원으로 가입하시면 전체기사와 사진(동영상)을 보실수 있습니다.