At Sunday’s service, FC celebrated several people’s baptisms during worship. Pastor Josiah,
Ashley, Jenny and others prayed for and with the baptized people. Also Pastor Josiah led the
congregation in communion commemorating Jesus’ willingness to take God’s wrath for each of us sinners. Jesus took the LORD’s wrath and offered us His cup of love and sacrifice. Then Pastor Josiah introduced his father, George Elias, who spoke on the topic, “My Brother’s Keeper.”
Cain and Abel in Genesis 4 is a familiar story about brothers.
“Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel your brother?’
He said,’I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?’”
Genesis 4:9 (NKJV)
Keeper in Hebrew means “to hedge around something, to guard or be guarded, to keep safe, to keep the ways of the Lord, to watch over something.” Cain was not Samar or a guard who protects another. Rather he was a hindrance.
In contrast, “The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand.”
Psalm 121:5 (NKJV) Having the LORD as your keeper means you have the Master of the
Universe watching over you. What a relief. We do not need to worry.
That is the same for Israel also since “God says, He is the Keeper of Israel.” For example,
“God calls Abram and raises up a nation, “ Israel. The LORD told Abram to leave his
homeland, which Abram did. He followed the LORD’s directions, and he believed the LORD
would provide a promised land, and He did.
Another example of the LORD’s hand on Israel was how “God raises Moses.” Moses led them out of slavery in Egypt to the Red Sea. The Egyptian army quickly followed the over two million fleeing slaves. However, the Keeper, the LORD, opened the Red Sea, and the Israelites walked on dry ground. The Keeper led the Israelites on their journey with the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day. He even told them, “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19:6a (NKJV) “They were to be a special people…” to the LORD. We are also His special people and are His priests. We get the chance to share the Good News wherever we go.The LORD “raises us up with purpose and design. He places full potential in us to fulfill a destiny in our lives. Here, He reveals that purpose to Israel; however, the conditions were obedience to His voice and covenant.”
“Also Moses intercedes for Israel.” The Israelites continuously disobeyed the LORD:
complaining about the bitter water, demanding Aaron make an idol to thank, worshiping the
golden calf, desiring to return to Egypt to be enslaved again. The LORD was fed up with the
disobedient Israelites, and He threatened to kill them. However, Moses said,
“Now as you kill these people as one man, then the nations
which have heard of Your fame will speak saying,
‘Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the
land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them
in the wilderness.’” Numbers 14:15-16 (NKJV)
When Moses pleaded to the LORD for Israel, he was interceding for them, and that
Intercession spelled “my brother’s keeper.”
“Moses intercedes on behalf of Israel because he’s concerned about how the nations
view the God of Israel.” The way Israelites acted reflected on the LORD since “God places
His name on Israel.” “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless
them.” Numbers 6:27 (NKJV)
Just like the Israelites carried the LORD’s name, we Christ followers carry His name. Our
actions of love and generosity bless Him and are salt and light. Our judgmental, critical, cruel
actions also reflect on Him and degrade His name. May we follow His examples of service and surrender. “How people see us matters.” The Holy Spirit intercedes for us in our hearts and shows us How to live a Christ-filled life through reading His Word, sitting at His feet, and
conversing with Him.
Additionally where His presence resided, His power fell.
“When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down
from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the
sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.”
2 Chronicles 7:1 (NKJV)
Where His name is placed, “His presence resides-The power fell.” He gave so that we could
have life. Because it is life eternal, we are compelled to share this Good News to all we
encounter. For “God has marked you as an ambassador sent by Heaven to this earth to be
a spokesman and testimony of Who He is.” What you carry is the seed of God. “What you
carry now is so much greater than what they carried in the Old Testament” because you
have the Holy Spirit residing in you. What is placed on Him is placed on you.
You are to set people free. People notice how you respond. When a person hurts us, may we
respond in grace and mercy. The greatest teacher ever, Jesus, taught us how to forgive. When He hung on the cross, He said,”Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Jesus had been wrongly accused, interrogated, beaten, nailed to a cross, and yet He still interceded for His accusers.
The Paramount Point is “The power is in the name of Christ which you carry as a
Christian.” Because we reflect our Savior, “It matters how we live, what we say and do, and
what we release” because they all “show the God we represent.” “The power, influence,
and conviction are released when we live in a way that represents Christ properly.” May
we be salt and light in this dark world.
Written by
Larry & Annette
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