The Covenant with Abraham occupies only a few sentences but has far reaching implications for the whole human race, both his natural descendants and those who are joined to them by faith in the God of Abraham. This section contains three divisions and many individual sessions as we explore the scope and implications of what God included in these few words.
I will make Your Name great – Abraham – Part 1
This is the second main strand in the covenant with Abraham. What is the significance of a name? It speaks of identity, relationship, and destiny. Biblical names were given; at Babel they wanted to make a name for themselves and were scattered. God promised to make Abraham’s name great – but how?..
I will make Your Name great – Abraham – Part 2
The promise of a great name is sandwiched between promises of blessing. We are blessed through Abraham and also by following in the footsteps of his faith. God described Abraham as His friend, an unusual honour Jesus said the same about His followers. We all want to have a good name and reputation, who is the audience?..
I will make Your Name great – Moses – Part 1
Abraham is famous because of his seed. Abraham, Moses, and David are the three towering figures of the OT. God made each of them great in name and reputation. Moses was the man of God, and the servant of the LORD. He reveals what it means to be a servant, humble and faithful…
I will make Your Name great – Moses – Part 2
We continue to see how Moses was given a great reputation, in consequence of the promise to Abraham and as a pre-figurement of the Messiah. He built the Tabernacle, a shadow of the heavenly one.
This was so that God could dwell among His people, “in their midst”…
I will make Your Name great – Moses – Part 3
Moses saw the glory of God in a unique way, at the burning bush, on Sinai, following the golden calf incident, receiving the 10 commandments a second time. Moses was the bearer of the glory – the manifest presence – of God. In this respect he, more than anyone else, foreshadowed Jesus…
I will make Your Name great – Moses – Part 4
It is tragic when religious practices and symbols continue unaffected after that the glory of God has departed. This happened in Israel in the days of Eli and his sons,”…the (prophetic) word of the LORD was rare in those days; Visions were infrequent”. Despite all of this the people looked to the symbols of religion to save them in the crisis…
I will make Your Name great – Moses – Part 5
Peter understood the Transfiguration as a confirmation of the truth of what the prophets had said. He sees the Transfiguration as a light that continues to shine in a dark place and as a promise that the new day will dawn. He will rise as the Morning Star in our hearts. The Transfiguration was the turning point in Jesus’ ministry…
I will make Your Name great – David – Part 1
The seed was promised to Abraham, then bequeathed to the tribe of Judah and was eventually focused in David and his descendants. David was the one who would bring to fruition the promise to Israel of rest from their enemies and to whom God would reveal the place where He would put His Name…
I will make Your Name great – David – Part 2
As the nation of Israel fell into decline and the house of David was about to be overwhelmed in the exile, there were prophecies of restoration – the Messianic hope pictured as the Branch/the Shoot form the stump of Jesse, an exalted Person with a great name. Sometimes He was referred to as David – the new and greater David…
The Seed
The promise of the seed was an indispensable part of the Covenant and became the testing ground for Abraham’s faith, culminating in the triumph of faith on Mount Moriah when he was willing to sacrifice Isaac if God so required, believing that God would raise him from the dead. The “seed theme” has its origins in Genesis 3 and runs through Scripture to the book of Revelation…
Star of Bethlehem, King of the Jews
This is a study of Matthew chapter 2. We take a fresh look at the story of the star and the wise men. What was the “star” and who were these men? Were they guided by the “star” or by Scripture? How did they know about the King of the Jews and why would they undertake a long and arduous journey to see him…
The Land
In this series the Covenant with Abraham is seen as consisting of three main strands, Seed, Name and Land. (Blessing is considered as integral to the whole Covenant and Protection as an aspect of the promise of the Seed). This section on ‘the Land’ consists of six studies, exploring the way in which the Land was uniquely fitted for a particular people with a particular way of life that was designed to reveal a special…