In Your Bible Read This
Genesis 11, 26 to 12.5, Galatians 3, 6-29

Here Is Your Memory Verse
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ,
then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according
to the promise. Gal. 3,28-29

Afterwards Talk About This
What do you think the seven-fold promises could mean in your lives
if you were to believe and act upon them?

Something To Do Before Next Time
Write down the seven-fold promises in big letters on a piece of card,
and pin it some-where in your house where you can see it often.
When you do, think about the promises, meditate on them, repeat them,
confess them by faith receive the blessing.

Written Diploma Work
See what Peter says in 1 Peter 2.9 and write down in 1 to 2 pages
what that should mean for the people of God today.

Meditate On These Verses
Hebrews 11, 8-10

Spend a Minute to Change the World

Pray For Botswana - Operation World page 126

1,500,000 southern Africa people in a fast developing nation

Many Christians and also many unreached

Be sure to teach this lesson to others.

Always pray and prepare well adding

your own verses and stories to bring it to life.

Way back in time, young Abram is living in an ancient city, Ur, in a family that worships idols. Acts 7,2-3, Genesis 11.31, Joshua 24.2. One day for his own reasons, the one true Living God somehow speaks to Abram saying,

" Go away for yourself, for your own reasons, from your country and from your kinfolk. Make up your mind separately from your clan. They are going to stay - you go! They are going to settle down, their religious drive has evaporated. Not so with you Abram. You emigrate. Keep travelling. Go away to establish your own lifestyle in dependence upon Almighty God."
Genesis 12 .1, translated from the Hebrew by David Newington.

God works and the whole family moves towards Canaan, the land the Living God has indicated. They set up camp at Haran, just half way towards the promised land. Later on after his father Terah dies, the Living God visits Abram again and reminds him of what he said back in Ur.

This Time God Adds Seven Promises -
I will make you into a great nation,
I will bless you,
I will make your name great,
You will be a blessing
I will bless those who bless you
I will curse those who curse you
And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Later God explains that Abram's offspring will be " like the dust of the earth," and "like the stars of the sky." God changes Abram's name to Abraham which means father of many nations, so he often hears the promise spoken over him. But although Abraham was blessed in every way we cannot honestly say that this massive promise was really fulfilled in Abraham's life. So what happened to it? See Genesis 13.14;15.5; 17.1-7; 24.1.

The Promise Now Comes To Isaac

Isaac is a man who likes to stay at home, not like his pioneering father Abraham. God appears to him and brings the same promise to him, but by the end of Isaac's much blessed life the promise has still not been totally fulfilled. See Genesis 26.4

So Now Meet Jacob, The Grandson

Jacob is devious, not at all like Isaac or grandfather Abraham. One day he is fleeing to save his life when God meets with him and he discovers that he too has inherited the promise. See Genesis 28.14. In time and with much suffering God changes Jacob and names him Israel.

From Jacob To Joseph

Jacob's sons have their feuds and Joseph is sold to slavery in Egypt. Years later though he rises to power and saves the lives of his entire family. The promise moves with them to Egypt. Genesis 42 to 47. But over the years Joseph dies and the house of Jacob is later reduced to misery and slavery.

So What About The Promise?
400 years later they cry out to God and the story continues in Exodus chapters 1 to 12, with God’s people leaving Egypt with a mighty deliverance through the Red Sea. God has not forgotten his promise for a moment, and at Sinai he renews and even enlarges it for the House of Jacob, saying ~

You will be my treasured possession.
You will be a kingdom of priests.
You will be a holy nation.

 

When the House of Jacob listened to their job to carry God’s blessings to all the world they said ‘Yes, ’ but when they heard about the lifestyle that was expected from a holy nation -

 

They turned away,

They refused the offer,
They rejected God,
They returned to Egypt in their hearts.

 

The result was 1,500 years of empty religion until Jesus came. 
Exodus 19.4-19, Hebrews 12.19, Acts 7. 39,42

What Happens To The Word Of The Lord When It Is Not Fulfilled?

When Joshua destroyed Jericho, God had him place a curse on anyone who might rebuild the city. Years later a man did rebuild Jericho but did so at the cost of his sons, exactly in line with the word of the Lord spoken over the city. The word of the Lord never returns to him until it has accomplished what it was sent for, rather it waits for a person through whom it may be fulfilled. Joshua 6.26,1 Kings 16.34. Isaiah 55.11

What Has Happened To The Promise?

Paul explains everything in Galatians 3, 8-29. In verses 8 and 9 we find out that the promise is actually a prophecy of the gospel of salvation by faith because all nations will be blessed through Abraham who is the father of our faith.

Then in verse 16 we find that the promise is waiting for a certain seed or person.

The Promise Is Really For Jesus,
So now read out loud those seven promises again
and this time place Jesus' name in front, saying,

Jesus, I will make you into . .

The Promise Is Also For The Church
because as verse 29 says, you (plural) belong to Christ, so you as the body of Christ are heirs of all the seven promises. Now read the seven promises out loud yet again and this time place the name of your own church or mission in front and hear God speaking to you.

Church, I will make you into . . . 
Repeat until the truth dawns in your soul.

What Does This Mean For Us?

It means that now you can go in faith to any land that God shows you knowing that there is an age old promise from God over you waiting to be inherited through your obedience. Scripture says that you are an heir of the world and that the promise is guaranteed by faith and by grace. God has also made you all that Israel refused to be. Romans 4.13, 16, 1 Peter 2.9-10.

 

To Close Pray For The World's Most Unreached Peoples By Name

 

Taken from the Joshua Project Unreached Peoples List these people have no church and as yet no cell, church or mission has committed themselves to prayer, adoption or church planting among this people.