Hymn 393, “I Am Now a Child of God”

 

(Testimonies)

 

Hymn 180, “O Blessed Lord” (Larry’s choice)

 

Jesus’ beginning was not at Bethlehem, Judea, or Nazareth.  It began with the foundation of the world.  In the Old Testament, God was teaching us over and over about Christ will come.  The Old Testament talks of Light and Shadow.  To make a shadow, one needs light and an object.  To enjoy that shadow or benefit of that shadow, you have to line up with the light and the object.  You have to constantly adjust yourself to that shadow.  God gives us light.  The object- Christ… is large.  Some shadows we can rest in.  He protects us and keeps us safe.  The Old Testament, God taught us about blood… so precious as it is and how to respect it. 

In Genesis 3:7, Adam and Eve sewed themselves aprons to cover themselves.  We try to cover ourselves.  We realize our exposure before God.  Why didn’t God except that?  It is because it was fig leaves.  There is no blood in fig leaves. 

Genesis 3:21, “The Lord made coats of skins and clothed them.”  God (He) made a garment.  The one with skins - it was made with blood… a sacrifice was involved - to make us acceptable before God.  God is wanting us to cherish blood - for Christ.  Christ is a garment of righteousness.  This garment we have in Christ is complete… a sacrifice.  Cain and Abel offered a sacrifice.  Cain was a tiller of the ground.  Abel was a keeper of the sheep.  Cain offered fruit.  Abel offered blood. 

Genesis 4:4, God rejected Cain’s sacrifice because it was the fruit of the ground… something that is just flesh.  Cain was a picture of the flesh.  Abel, the picture of the divine.  Cain means “acquired” (gotten).  Eve acquired a man from the Lord.  Other names for Cain:  fugitive, vagabond, a wanderer.  Abel:  feeder and a keeper.  Our human nature is the first born and Christ - our second born… is the divine.  God has given us the sacrifice - the blood of the lamb.  The first blood in the Bible is the blood of animals.  The next blood we read about is a slain son… Abel (Genesis 4:9).  The voice of the brother’s blood cryeth from the ground.  The blood of Christ- went to the ground… to the earth… where man was made.  When blood has fallen on the ground - it has changed forever.  That’s what God wants for us.  Seth was then sent by God (Eve’s third son).  “Now God has appointed me a new seed.”  Seth means “a new seed.”  God appoints the divine – the Holy Spirit. 

Genesis. 4:26, the fruit of the divine.  The spirit of God has called us.  Blood is the cleansing method, but importantly - it’s the life.  The body and the blood… it has to be alive.  Religion is dead because it’s the blood that people just follow.  You must follow both.  Allow it to flow through us to remove impurities. 

 

Hymn 17,  “Wash Me From Sin” (verses 1 and 4 closed the afternoon session)