Opened Scriptures Bible Studies

Looking to the World for answers is bad. Let us consider the steps of faith taken by Abraham thus far. He waited fifteen years but finally obeyed God's call to separate from his family and homeland. After obeying God, there was a severe famine in the land and Abraham "went down into Egypt."   Isaiah 31:1  Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!  We noted that Egypt is called a house of bondage, and an iron furnace. Spiritually  speaking, Egypt represents the world of sin, sensual depravity and perverse idolatry (Revelation 11:8). Thus, Isaiah warned against those who go down into Egypt seeking help in times of trouble.  What should we do, and what should Abraham have done? Look to the Holy One of Israel and seek Jehovah! This is always the right answer to the problems and heartaches we f

The king-vassal treaty.  Genesis 15:7-8  And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.  8  And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?  This section begins the king and vassal treaty that we studied in our last post. Abraham received affirmation of the promise from Jehovah and he responded by asking God a question. He was seeking some type of sign from Jehovah that would bring assurance to his heart.   Cutting the animals in pieces warns of failure  to comply.   Genesis 15:9  And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.  10) And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.  11) And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.  God's answer was for Abraham to prepar

  Good morning to all... It is always a privilege to share missionary updates with our Readers. There are usually things to pray about for them and things to praise God about. These are missionaries supported by our church, Heritage Baptist Church in Smithville, Ohio. This particular husband and wife team are ministering in South America. As usually, I redact names and places in order to protect them in their work because sometimes governments can be very hostile missionaries.  I hope you find their letter a blessing and that you will pray for their specific needs. In Christ's love, Bob Stir Up the Gift of God This past month, the church here in A. celebrated another milestone as we ordained Pastor A. We officially took that step last April, when we sent a letter to the pastoral body of the association of churches requesting their official doctrinal examination. In that letter, we stated that we had observed his life over the past three years and believed him to meet the qualific

  Good morning... Here is the link to Pastor Alvis's sermon with the text from Romans 8. Pastor covered verses 17-28 in explaining more of the beautiful ministry of God's Spirit in the hearts of each believer. I hope you are able to watch and listen to his sermon as this encouragement is much needed today. Bob

Abraham's steps of faith as he walks in newness of life are going to take a dramatic turn because God is going to do something powerful and marvelous. He has established a covenant with Abraham that remains in effect today. It is a covenant of faith patterned after a common legal contract called a  king and vassal treaty .  We must look at the elements of this treaty to see the similarities with Genesis 15, and note the one great difference in how this treaty is administered.  A king and vassal treaty sealed by sacrifice. King & Vassal treaty is an agreement between a king who is the stronger party and a vassal who is the weaker party .   The stronger party always dictates the terms and conditions of the treaty by setting forth the benefits of abiding by the covenant terms, and penalties for failing to uphold the terms of the agreement. In Biblical terms, the covenant lists all of the blessings for obedience and all of the curses, connected with violating the covenant terms.

We have seen steps of faith as Abraham walked in newness of life but we also saw a deviation from faith when he went "down into Egypt." We saw him ride to the rescue of his nephew Lot, in spite of facing insurmountable odds, because he knew God would help him. We saw Abraham receive an immediate answer from God and great promises, after he voiced his questions, concerns and cares to Jehovah. We saw Abraham believe God and his faith was counted for righteousness.  Abraham asked one more question. Genesis 15:7-8  And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.  8)  And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?   Jehovah Elohim is the name of God used in this text. Jehovah is the great "I Am", the self existent God who inhabits eternity but dwells with those who have humble hearts and contrite spirits. He is the unchanging God who will keep His promises and fulfill His word

We are examining the life of Abraham in order to help us learn more about walking in newness of life. Remember, the word "walk" is a transitive   verb that means the action of walking must be connected to someone or something. In the case of a born again believer, our "walk" must be connected to Jesus Christ and shaped by His Word. Genesis 15 began with Jehovah giving Abraham a very significant promise.  Abraham had real concerns and worries.   Genesis 15:2-3  And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?  3) And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. Abraham's wife Sarah was barren and they had no children. Abraham voiced his concern  to Jehovah because he had a difficult time understanding how he could father a child as both of them were getting older. Abraham was about 60 years old when he left Ur of the Chaldees,  and