September 21, 2024 • 64 mins
Discover the transformative power of scripture in our latest Books of the Bible Book Club episode, featuring the wisdom and companionship of Elder Harper. We explore the profound journey from Genesis to the story of Abraham, reflecting deeply on the significance of taking God's call seriously. Elder Harper, a cherished spiritual companion, enriches our discussion with her insights and shared history, setting the stage for a heartfelt exploration of faith, patience, and the divine promises that guide our lives.
We'll unfold the awe-inspiring nature of God's sovereign plan, tracing His promise from Adam and Eve to Abram and Sarai. By examining the covenant with Abraham, we discuss the unyielding commitment God has to His people, contrasting it with human conditional promises. Our conversation navigates through modern challenges, urging listeners to trust in God's timing amidst a world that often demands instant gratification. This episode is a reminder of the steadfast faith needed to witness the fruition of God's promises.
Finally, we delve into the enduring significance of the biblical covenant, culminating in the redemptive work of Christ. The symbolic rituals and unwavering commitment of God's covenant with Abraham highlight the sacred bond that extends to us today. We also share an exciting update about our transition to YouTube, encouraging our community to join us on this new platform. Tune in for an enriching conversation that promises to deepen your understanding of God's word and His unwavering promises.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Hey, everyone, everyone, how are you doing on
this beautiful?
It's Monday, right?
Okay, let me tell y'all, y'alldon't understand.
Your girl has been runninglight Like I've been doing some
work like a bee today.
(00:44):
So, anyways, I want to get onhere.
First I want to say thank you,thank you, thank you, thank you
to everyone that you like, youshare, you commented, whatever
you've done.
I'm so excited, you know, yada,yada, yada, all that stuff.
I'm excited because, let metell y'all, you know, know, this
is something that I do takeserious.
(01:05):
Okay, this is something youknow, when, um, when God call
you, you have to make sure youtake it serious.
So, anyways, I am so excited tobe up here, um, and, like I
said last week, this is thebooks of the Bible book club.
I'm so excited that we havestarted this and I want to just
(01:29):
extend this to everyone becauseit is something different.
Right, we're taking the bookclub to a different level.
Right, we are not just saying,okay, there's nothing wrong with
reading other people's books,but we want to read the word of
God.
Okay, and I want, like I said,anybody can participate in this.
(01:50):
All you got to do is go grabyour Bible, grab your phone.
You know what I'm saying, andso you don't have to go and
spend money on books.
You could go and get your Bible, because this right here will
enrich your life.
Okay, my pastor, pastor Darius,I always say you get better
with the Bible and that meansyour life get better and
(02:14):
everything that you're doing.
You know it is the mostimportant thing that you need to
be studying in your life is theBible.
Okay, so we want to make surethat we are doing our due
diligence when it's when itcomes to that.
It's almost like when you, um,when you get a table to put
together and you don't read theinstructions, it's going to be
(02:36):
messed up.
Okay, you might miss somescrews here and all that stuff.
I want to make sure that youknow the word of God.
So, anyways, anyways, I am soexcited to be doing this with
Elder Harper.
Can't you just put some heartsin the chat for Elder Harper?
(02:58):
I'm so excited that ElderHarper is here.
How are you doing tonight, elderHarper?
I'm doing pretty good, doingpretty good.
Thank you for asking.
I am well.
I know that it has been a goodlong week for all of us and
we're just looking to gettogether, have some fun and
refresh ourselves in thesescriptures.
Girl, there you go, girl, girl,girl, girl, girl.
(03:25):
I say, when I say it's been aweek, I feel like like I was
talking to my cousin earlier andI said you know, I was thinking
that our Zoom meeting wastomorrow and I said, because I
(03:45):
said I'm so sorry, I ain't gonnanobody do it, I got something
to do tomorrow.
And she said cuz it's next week.
I said oh, I said see, I said Idone did about a hundred.
My mama say a hundred, I donedid about a hundred things
already.
I said my bad, cuz my bad.
But you know, god is so good.
So, anyways, I'm, I'm soexcited about um being being up
(04:08):
here with you.
Um, you know, for the peoplethat don't know elder harper,
could you just give a little bitof background of who elder
harper is, so people can knowthat elder harper has been in my
life for a long time now?
Okay, yeah.
So thank you.
For all the newcomers, those whomay not have been on with us
(04:30):
before, my name is DarleneHarper and I am a good friend of
Kiana's from way long time ago.
Let's see where you was at,maybe 2007.
So 2007, 2000.
Yeah, 2007.
Yeah, I think it was.
I had to be mad because my yeah2007.
I think it was little yeah 2007.
Kindergarten, yes, wow.
(04:51):
And now they are graduating.
They will graduate from college, college, college, y'all.
Wow, that's a good long time.
And you know, it's just beencool to trek along with my
sister, yana, and faith, youknow, um, on and off through the
years and just been alongside,you know our families and that
(05:15):
kind of thing.
So, yes, it's, it's, and, and tobe doing something like this
right now is is more than anhonor.
So, probably, and like I said,I'm just so, I'm so excited
you're here and in my sister app, said hillary, she used to be
here, but she is.
She is um doing her boss thing.
(05:35):
Okay, all right.
So, anyways, um, like I saidearlier, we are studying the
books of the bible and last weekwe um had the opportunity to
start with the beginning withwith the first sin, and so this
day we're going to continue withwith genesis, but we are going
(06:00):
to move right along to the toabraham.
So I'm excited about this one,because this one, this one is,
is is near and dear.
So what I'm gonna do now is saya quick prayer before we go any
further, because we want tousher in the holy spirit and we
want to make sure that we, umare are doing that.
(06:24):
That's one thing that I do ismake sure that the Holy Spirit
is in the room, because, youknow, I don't want people to be
thinking that I'm talking fromKiana.
I'm not talking from Kiana.
So, anyways, I'm going to say aquick prayer and then we'll
move forward.
Okay, so, dear Heavenly Father,we come to you.
First.
(06:44):
We want to say thank you.
Thank you, god, for carving outthis time for us to be able to
discuss your word.
God, we just thank you now for,um, all the things that you
have brought us through on lastweek, god, to bring us here, god
, god.
We know that the enemy comes tokill, steal, steal and destroy,
but, god, we will still standstrong in the word of God.
(07:07):
So we thank you now, god, forwhat you have done.
God.
We thank you for even theobstacles that you have brought
us through, god.
God, we thank you now for evenany illness that you have
brought us through, god.
We just thank you now foranybody that is under the sound
of my voice, that is wonderingwhat they can do, god, we ask
you now to give them clarity,god.
(07:27):
God, we thank you now forallowing them to be able to
receive this word, god, from you, god, because we know that it
was sent from heaven, god, andso we thank you now, god, for
what you're going to do.
God, we just thank you now foryour people, god, that are
thirsty and hungry after theword of God, and so we just want
to give your name to praise Godfor sending them here, god, so
(07:50):
they can be able to learn alittle bit more, and we can
learn together, god, because weknow that iron sharpens iron,
and so we thank you now, god,for your love.
We thank you now for your grace.
We thank you now for your peace, god.
God, we thank you now for goingto Elder Harper's home and
representing for her,representing on tonight, god,
(08:10):
and so we thank you now, god,for what you are doing.
We thank you now.
It's in Jesus' name that I pray.
Amen, amen, amen, praise him,hallelujah.
Yeah, girl, I am so excitedbecause I um this one right here
(08:31):
.
Like I said, um, we are talkingabout the call of Abraham and
the covenant promise.
Right, when you know that Godhas given you a promise.
You can always refer back towhat he gave to Abraham.
(08:51):
Right, we know that he gaveAbraham that promise.
We know that you know he gavehim just the threefold you know,
I'm saying the threefoldpromise, which is the land, the
descendants and the blessings ofall nations.
So we know that we can get whatAbraham got.
And so that right there just islike ooh, okay, okay, god, you
(09:17):
know, and the thing about it onething that the reason why for
me this is so important isbecause, if you're like me, you
are waiting on a promise thatGod has given you.
Oh yeah, you know what I'msaying.
You are waiting on a promisebecause you have stepped out on
faith, you have did something,so you are waiting on a promise
(09:40):
from, from him.
So I'm gonna start and I'm gonnaread genesis um 12, 1, and I
think I'm gonna just read 1through 6, genesis 1.
I think I'm gonna just read 1through 6 and it, and I'm gonna
read it.
Oh wait, no, you said genesis12, yes, genesis 1 through 6.
(10:02):
Okay, and it says the Lord hassaid to Abraham go from your
country, your people and yourfather's household to the land.
I will show you, I will makeyou into a great nation and I
will bless you.
I will make your name great andyou will be a blessing.
(10:23):
I will bless those who blessyou and whoever curses you I
will curse and all people onearth will be blessed through
you.
So Abraham went, as the Lordhad told him, and Lot went with
him.
Abram, I'm talking about Abraham, abram.
Abram was 75 years old when heset out from Haran.
(10:45):
He took his wife Sarah, hisnephew Lot, all the possessions
they had accumulated and thepeople they had acquired in
Haran, and they set out for theland of Canaan.
And they arrived there, it said.
Abraham traveled through theland as far as the site of the
great tree of Morah at shechem.
At that time the canaaniteswere in the land.
(11:09):
Let me just read.
I'm gonna read the rest.
The lord appeared to abram andsaid to your offspring I will
give this land.
So he built an altar there tothe lord who had appeared to him
.
From there he went all towardsthe hills east of Bethlehem and
pitched his tent, with Bethlehemon the west and Ai on the east.
(11:31):
There he built an altar to theLord and called the name of the
Lord.
Then Abram set out andcontinued towards Negah.
So what translation was that?
Well, that was the NIV.
I'm so sorry, so sorry.
I'm sorry, that was the nivy'all.
Uh, so, anyways, one of the thefirst key thing that I wanted
(11:57):
to kind of discuss tonight andtonight with you is, um, god's
covenant with abram abraham.
But we know, before he wasabraham, he was abram.
Okay, um, and that's, that's awhole another, that's a whole
another day, for there's a whole, nother story for a different
(12:20):
day, because god, when, when Godgets you where he wants you,
he'll change your name.
And that's when you know thatis Okay.
So we want to talk about God'scovenant with Abraham, and so we
know that the profound natureof God's covenant with Abraham.
(12:40):
It laid the foundation for thenation of Israel and ultimately,
for the coming of Christ.
And so, when you think aboutthat, the promise that God had
gave to Abraham, not the promise, but the call, we wanted that
covenant when you think aboutthat, what do you think about
(13:03):
when it comes to us, and how Godshows his long term plan of
redemption, you know.
So what do you think about that?
When you think about the wholepromise and the covenant that
God has with Abraham, and yousaid, in reference to the long
term plan of redemption yes,yeah, you know, really, like you
(13:26):
said, the foundation was laid.
I think I feel like you know Iprobably said this already, but
it's one of my favorite thingsabout the Lord is that, you know
, he already knew what he wantedto do, right, so he wasn't
(13:49):
taken.
He wasn't taken off, you know,by anything that happened.
He, he's a beginning and theend.
He knew what he wanted to dofor the foundations of the world
.
So it's just amazing to me thatin his genius, um, he's
starting out with a story, he'sstarting out with these people.
(14:11):
You know this, this, this theprogression of family, even you
know, starting out from adam andeve, and just how everything
has progressed, even to where weare now with Abram and Sarai,
and so to me, it's just amazingbecause he knew what he wanted
(14:32):
to do and he had the end in mind.
So I just think that it's justone of my favorite things,
because it might not seem like,uh, you know, we're thinking
about redemption right away whenyou read this.
You know, because you might notbe able to recognize okay, yeah
(14:54):
, he's, he's gonna, he's gonnafix everything in the beginning
when you're reading it, whatit's like.
You gotta hang in there, readthe story.
You gotta keep reading, yougotta, you gotta and that, and
you know, and that's like withus.
You know what I'm saying.
Um, because he gives us that.
You know that promise and and,like I said, if you're like me,
(15:17):
you know that god done, promisedyou some things.
You know if you, if you a, ifyou are a child of God just like
how Abram before you know hewas when he, he was a child of
God, and so we know that we, wecan get that promise.
That's just like when, when,when you talk to your children
and you say, oh, okay, you knowif you do this or I need you to
(15:41):
do this, and I promise you thatthis is it, and so they be
looking for it.
But we have to know thatsometimes it don't come exactly
then.
But we have to know that God issovereign, right.
We know that he's a man thatcannot lie.
So we know that he is going tofulfill his covenant.
(16:03):
He is going to fulfill hispromise, he is going to do it.
So we know that he is going tofulfill his covenant.
He is going to fulfill hispromise, he is going to do it.
So we have to know, just likehow Abraham was, like, okay, you
know, I know that God is, he'staking me from here.
He told me to leave, and it'slike when God tells us to do
(16:24):
something, we don't know what todo, we don't know what's going
to happen, what's going to bethe.
We don't know that you knowwhere it's going to lead.
So the promise encompassedthree key elements land,
offspring and universalblessings, like I said earlier.
And so we have to realize thatthis is not just a contract, but
(16:47):
a divine commitment initiatedby God and rooted in his
sovereign grace.
So we know that the promise isthat's what it is.
There ain't no contract Like,if you do this, if you do this,
they ain't going to do that.
You know what I'm saying.
Like it's, it's that's God inhis sovereignty.
You know what I'm saying.
(17:07):
So, um, you know, I think thatthat's that's really, really
good because, like we know thatGod is, is unconditional.
His love is very, veryunconditional for us.
You know you got some peoplethat that that say, ok, I
promise that I'm going to dothis if you do this.
Right, that ain't what God said.
(17:30):
So, when you think about, whenyou think about that conditional
and that unconditional, and howsome people, when they do make
their covenant, when they maketheir promise, how, what do you?
When, when you think about it,how do you can tell whether they
(17:50):
are really unconditional andthey are or just saying stuff,
wow, yeah, you know.
I mean there's a big differencebetween conditional,
unconditional.
So I mean we're talking aboutpeople making promises.
In general, I will say it is sonatural to think of, you know,
(18:11):
whether somebody else is goingto uphold their end of the
bargain, whether we got enoughto really do it anyway, you know
, and, and I mean we're talkingabout various types of promises,
various types of promises andand even covenants or contracts
and things like that, wherepeople, um, you know it could,
(18:33):
we people could be fickle sovery, I mean even starting out.
Well, even with the, with theplan to stick to it to the end.
And you know, the, the countingup the costs, may not have
added all the way up in theirminds, because there's
conditions, you know, and so.
But that's what with god?
(18:56):
You know he already counted upthe cost.
He was sovereign, like you said.
So with him this is sodifferent.
That's why I love how I sayuniversal blessings, because
he's the only one that we cantrust and stand on.
That is not going to falter,it's not going to fail right,
because people will fail.
(19:17):
And that's why that scripturesay when, uh when, man, things
are impossible.
Well, with god, all things areimpossible, but with God, all
things are possible, everything,I mean.
You know, and that's the thingyou know.
Sometimes we forget howunconditional God is.
You know, and that's when westart to like not realize that
(19:42):
we are, since we are children ofabraham, we, we get that that
same faith that I mean get thatsame um inherences that abraham,
the children of abraham, got um.
The bible says um in galatians3 and um 3 and 29, and if you
(20:03):
are Christ, then you areAbraham's offspring cares
according to promise.
So we know that we can.
You know, since we are God'schildren and we are children of
Abraham and we are descendants,we can get those promises.
So we don't have to worry.
We don't have to worry about it.
(20:24):
You know that that covenant,you know, god gave us that that
is something that he cannot,because he is a God that cannot
right his word would not come tohim anyway.
You know, return back to him,boy, and I'm so glad that he was
the one who started it intomotion, because he had to do
something real big and real longto cause us to understand, to
(20:48):
cause us to see, and and get him, you know, and not something
short, not something quick, notjust, you know, uh, something
little like okay, yeah, I'mgonna give you this.
No, like he, his unconditionallove for us went beyond time,
right, right, you know.
(21:08):
So it goes beyond the moment,it goes beyond.
It goes beyond what we're doing, what we're not doing.
He had to establish himself.
He had to establish what hewanted, between us, to be
himself.
And that's why I love thislater on, where it talks about
(21:29):
him looking for somebody.
But he had to look towardshimself, because he can't depend
on humankind.
He is the one, who is the onlyone that is capable, right, and
that's that's why he had to puton human form and come down,
right, you know, because he knewthat we would not, you know, be
(21:51):
able to hold our end of thebargain.
No, no, he knew that he had toroll that already, right,
because look at what happened inthe beginning, when he created
Adam and Eve.
He knew, he knew.
(22:13):
He said y'all ain't gonna holdit up.
We didn't come over there,y'all ain't gonna do right,
y'all ain't gonna do right.
He said I have to connect youto a covenant to keep you
tethered to the promise.
I gotta let you myself too, soI'm.
That's why I'm grateful forthis inheritance.
(22:34):
We're talking about right,right, you know?
So, yeah, that that is, that isgood.
And so the next, the next thingthat we are going to talk about
is the faith and obedience.
Oh, that is so good Because wehave to and I talked to somebody
(22:55):
about faith, being able to stepout of faith.
We have to know that Abraham'sjourney of faith began with a
call um to leave everything.
Oh, my goodness, somebody sayeverything, type it in the
screen, everything, everything,everything familiar and step
(23:17):
into the unknown.
Okay, so, and I, you know I canspeak on this because that was
something that that God had todo.
And I always talk about when,when God moved me from where I
was living to, you know, here, Isaid this Abraham move.
(23:38):
You know, I always associatethat with it because I was like
comfortable, like I didn't, Ididn't, and I always associate
that with it because I was likecomfortable, like I'm good, you
know what I'm saying, and God islike no, I need you, I need you
to showed you know howremarkable it was.
(24:13):
What do you think about when itcomes to faith and Christians
these days?
Because a lot of Christians,when you talk about faith, they
shy away from what is like okay,really really coming out of
their comfort zone, you know.
So, when we think about Abrahamand his faith, how do you think
(24:34):
that that coincides with theworld today?
Because there's a lot of peoplethat speak on faith but are
scared to step out on faith.
So how do that coincideide?
How do you think that that?
You know, um, this story,abraham responds should, where
it should look like in our, inthe culture today, but it don't.
Um, yeah, um, you know, inevery generation there's going
(25:01):
to be challenges.
There is going to be challenges, there's going to be opposition
, as there has been from thebeginning, from the garden,
right, the time that we'reliving in.
It just seems like, for example, we're in 2024, right, I think
(25:22):
we're still in 2021.
It's already August, it's aboutto be 2025.
Right, already, already,anyways.
And so we can just think of howthings were different from where
we are now, even when we wereyounger and our young adulthood,
(25:42):
our childhood, you know, andhow the different persuasions or
the different influences thatexisted at that time were
different.
Right, there are differentmajor influences and kind of
themes that are in this nationand kind of themes that are in
(26:05):
this nation.
Some of them have existed forages, but how they look and how
it's playing out have shiftedfrom one way to another.
So I'm saying all this to sayis that currently, I feel like
there was a lot of fear andtrauma and insecurity, things
that would shake people and notcause them to be as secure as we
(26:34):
should be in the things of God.
Right, maybe the times were verymuch more simpler in Abram's
day.
I mean, he totally was comingup from idol worship.
No, we need to go our best,because his father and them were
not, like they were christians,you know, but at the same time
(26:55):
they were comfortable.
You know, that was their world,that was a world, right, and so
our world as it stands today,it seems to just come along with
a lot of I don't know, you know, a lot of apprehension.
I mean financially, everything.
(27:18):
Things just seem to be more upin the air, you know, as they
were, as they probably weren'tbefore, you know.
So trusting in God in this timereally requires some faith, you
know, and obedience in this timewill cause a person to have to
(27:39):
believe, for you know everything, and I'm not saying that it
wasn't for anyone, because,again, he was picking up.
So it's different, but it's thesame.
You know it's different, butit's the same because.
(28:01):
But it's just what isinfluencing people in that
generation.
So our challenges are differentthan his, but it's still.
It's still that makes so muchsense that you know, when you
think about it, because, um, youknow, like, like, like you said
(28:21):
, their time, of course, wasdifferent than our time, and um,
so now, when you look at thetimes now, it's like, oh,
everything's so expensive andgod, you asked me to quit my job
.
Oh, you know what I'm sayinglike it's, it's.
People are just like no, youknow, I, I, I don't know.
(28:42):
See, here's the thing theydon't know whether it's God's
force or not.
And that's the problem, right,because you know, we have to
know.
The Bible says in Genesis 15and one after this word, after
this, the word of the Lord cameto Abram in a vision.
Do not be afraid, abram, I amyour shield, your very great
(29:06):
reward.
So we have to be able torecognize that that is the Lord
talking to us, because sometimes, when you and I think that that
is a lot of people's problem,because the Bible says my sheep
knows my voice, right, and so ifyou don't know that, that's the
, that's the voice of the lordtelling you to quit your job,
(29:28):
right, yeah, yeah, we're tellingyou to start a business, right,
you know all, right, okay, it'stime for you to write that book
or it's time for you to do this.
You don't.
If you don't understand andknow that what the voice of the
lord is, then it's going to behard, and so that's right there.
(29:49):
That's the number one thing.
Right there is, people don'tknow God's voice.
Yeah, and I think that you'reright.
That is one of the biggestthings, because I've heard the
statistics to it that this timethat we're living in is one of
the greatest times where peopleare not really going to church
(30:09):
as much as times used to be, andeven the children of this age
are haven't been going to church.
Like, like christianity.
It seems like it's going down,but that's such a trick of the
enemy, because it's like we aresupposed to be so far past where
we are.
So hearing his voice is likethe least, it's the least of
(30:32):
things that we should beunderstanding right now.
So, if we're listening to, um,oh, yeah, I'm, I'm supposed to
be doing this because, you know,it's like not having money will
cause people to go into thesedifferent ventures or things to
try and chase dollars and servemammon, and it's like it makes,
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it makes sense to them, right,this is what I need to be doing.
But if we don't have thatcentering on him, yeah, no, it,
no, it's it's gonna seem likeright, a crime, because it may
have come into the place ofbeing their God and they're
going to realize it.
You know, because we don't knowthe voice of the Lord, right,
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and you know, like, you know howAbraham, when he was waiting on
Isaac, right, and so it justseemed like it was impossible.
First off, you know he was 75,.
You know, and if we think aboutthat in these days, we're like,
so you're going to go somewhere, just let it go, let it go.
(31:39):
But you know, you know, but itseemed like it was humanly
impossible and and that's that'sthe thing, and that's what a
lot of people problem arebecause they you know this world
has made it where, um,everything is so skeptical,
(32:01):
skeptical about getting orskeptical about doing, like you
know and it's and it's, you know, to that point where you like,
you're like, okay, now I don'tknow, I can't do that or or
whatever, and so, but anotherthing that we get from Abraham,
his life teaches us about, um,the patience and the waiting and
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the trusting in god's time.
You know his timing, you knowwe know that it was doubt and um
, and everything seemed like itwas not going to do, you know,
come to pass.
But we know that abraham wasable to.
You know, even in, even when itwas that doubt, he was able to
still trust god.
(32:45):
And so how big it is, in thesedays and times when you got to
really, really, really, reallyknow that you can trust in the
Lord and lean not to your ownunderstanding, and being able to
wait on God, how important Ithink that's an important thing
right there.
So how important do you thinkthat that is nowadays right
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there?
So how important you think that, daddy is nowadays?
Yes, it is definitely importantreally to to fight the current
being lulled into indifferenceand complacency.
And abram and Abram, he said hejust said okay, yes, right, you
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know what I mean.
Yeah, he might have probablylooked over a little bit, like,
okay, I'm getting doubtful, butit's really like a lot of I
don't know, you know, and a lotof kind of wavering, a lot of
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lukewarmness.
You know, we, we not, um, wehard pressed, but we're not hard
pressed.
You know, being in the westernchurch, being in the US, people
super blessed, but yet theystill got poverty and poverty
mindsets.
So it's like can we just getsomewhere and make a decision?
Right, you know, becausethere's already so many things
(34:16):
that's feeding, you know, andalready wanting to satisfy, so
it's like what do I actuallywant more?
Right, right, you know, look,and, and you know, we have to
know that, like you, like yousay, we have to be able to trust
him you know what I'm sayingand trust his trust that, um, it
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is coming, you know, and andit's not it, you know, god is
going to keep his commandment,god is going to give us that
promise, you know.
And but a lot of people they getso impatient these days.
It's like that microwavementality.
(35:00):
We want it now.
Give me my money.
Oh, I just saw that I'm so lateto the party.
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.
So you know, we want what wewant, and Pastor Darius was
teaching about yesterday, abouthow the middle, you know, we see
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what God is going to do wedon't got the promise and we
don't have that vision of theend, but now we want, we see
what God is going to do.
Or we don't got the promise but,and, and we don't had that
vision of the end, but now wewant it, we ready, you know, but
it ain't.
It don't work like that, youknow.
You know we have to make surethat we don't get doubtful when,
when God gives us that, thatyou know, and and and look at
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what, um, what abraham wentthrough.
He went through a lie, and ify'all haven't read the bible,
y'all need to go read genesis,about everything that abraham
went through after he got his,you know his promise after he
got his, his, um, his.
You know god, his call andeverything you know.
(36:04):
But one thing we have toremember, and I want to read the
scripture Romans 12 and two donot be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by therenewal of your mind that by
testing, you may discern what isthe will of God, what is good
and acceptable and perfect.
So we know that, if we can, wehave to.
You know, in order to trust Godfully and solely, we have to
(36:27):
make sure that we aretransforming our minds.
I'm quite sure, like I'm quitesure, that Abraham was just like
okay, god, you, you, um, um,look, I'm 70, I'm 75.
Okay.
So you said I'm gonna have ababy.
I'm 75, okay.
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So you said I'm gonna have ababy.
Oh, okay, so I'm 80, god, okay,you know, can you just imagine
how Sarah was?
You know she was like, yeah,you know, especially when, when
she, when they said she gonnahave a baby, she laughed.
You know, she laughed.
She was just like, okay, yousaid this a long time ago, but
we have to know that sometimesthe promise, just like, okay,
you said this a long time ago,but we have to know that
sometimes the promise, just likewhen the farmers, when they go
(37:11):
and they sow their seeds itain't going to come the next day
, oh, my gosh, I have definitelybeen that impatient farmer.
I mean I go out, I would go outevery day and be looking, and I
mean wait, and I just wanted tohurry up and grow already, not
not just past the, the dirt.
I wanted to already be to whereI could get the stuff off the
(37:33):
vine and start chopping up andeating.
I want to chop it up already,but that's not how it worked.
We know that.
You know, um, when, when we sowit, it it takes time to grow,
it takes time to get there, ittakes time, and you know, I want
to say something about that too.
(37:54):
Like again, seed time of harvestis still in god's sovereignty,
because god gonna find a way tomake sure we stay humble and
realize that we are not him,that we are not on his timing.
He going to make you wait, likeyou might as well let it go and
go with it, because the seedtime of harvest that whole
(38:17):
principle is, it will nevercease.
So it's like, listen, if it wascoming fast, we would think it
was us, we would think that wereally have nothing to do with
it.
That's like, no, you're gonnatrust the whole process right,
because no, I was gonna say like, even while the promise is
(38:45):
coming, there's other thingsthat he's working on, you know.
So it's like he's so sovereignhe's teaching us to trust him.
Trust him in general, not justfor what he said he was going to
do.
But what he said was going tobe done still embodies and
(39:06):
encompasses so much more thanwhat we really realize.
So we got to let him be God, sowe can see the whole picture of
what he really meant.
Anyway, right, right, you know,and and that is so, so true,
because I was, um, I think I sawsomething the other day.
I I don't know where I saw it.
I see so much stuff Y'all,don't pay me no attention, but I
(39:28):
see some stuff.
Right, but they were saying youcan do everything.
Anyway, you can do everything,you can plant the seed, you can
put, you know, go and dig it up,plant the seed and do
everything, but you can't makeit rain.
Only God can do that.
You know what I'm saying.
(39:49):
So, you, because we know thatin order for our harvest to come
through, we know that we needthe rain, right so, but you
can't make the rain.
Only God is the one that can dothat.
You know what I'm saying.
And so we have to in that momentwhen God tell us, but we still
have to do on our part, meaningthat we have to in that, in that
moment when God tell us, but westill have to do on our part,
meaning that we have to stick toour faith, we have to stick to
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trusting, we have to stick todoing what God has called us to
do.
If God tells you to relocate,then guess what God said
relocate?
You know, and and all the time,like it all boils down is to is
whether you know God's voice ornot.
You know, and I feel like Ifeel so strongly about it, I
just don't, I don't know why Ican't let that go, but it all
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boils down to to that you know,because a lot of people, you
know, when God and that's themain thing you got to know that
in that time of waiting, in thattime of patience, in that time
of saying, of waiting, in thattime of patience, in that time
of saying, okay, god, you toldme this and I done seen the
(40:52):
vision.
I know where I'm going, youknow, but I don't know none of
this.
Like, uh, pd has said yesterdayum, he said it's like god done,
show you a movie trailer.
You don't know you.
You know it's gonna be good,but you just don't know.
You know how it's gonna happenin the middle.
So it's like like like, okay,you're right, yeah, we, we just,
(41:14):
we just, we gotta be okaybecause it is, is like you said,
it's gonna be's going to begood, because we know what
Romans 8 and 28 says it's goingto be good.
We know that we have to be ableto trust, anyways, that's a
(41:41):
whole another lesson by itself,right there, anyways.
The next one is the concept ofthe covenant.
Um, we have to have thebiblical understanding um of the
covenant with abraham.
You know is is the the biblical, it runs throughout the
(42:02):
scripture.
You, you know it's a covenant.
It's more than an agreement.
It is a sacred bond, oftensealed with a sign or ritual
that you know God is.
It reflects his unwaveringcommitment to his people and his
desires for a relationship withthem, and so we have to know
that that is the main thing.
(42:23):
Is the bond that God has givenus.
He has given us.
He has said okay, this is whatI am doing, this is the bond.
That's like.
You know that, mother andchildren, we know that when our
mom would tell us that they'regoing to do something, we knew
that they were going to do itbecause they had that bond.
My mom always told us your wordis your bond right, meaning
(42:48):
that that's the only thing thatyou have, meaning that you can
trust me, you can be able toknow that I am going to do what
I say.
I am going to do so.
When you think about that, thatsacred bond, or you know, that
unwavering commitment that Godhas given us, what comes to mind
(43:09):
when you think about that, thatsacred bond, that unwavering
commitment, you know I mean itwas all leading up to Jesus
anyway.
So, yeah, it makes me think ofJesus, because I mean he died on
the cross, you know.
(43:30):
It makes me think of my Lordand Savior, because he still got
up on that cross when he hadall power to not do that.
You know what I mean.
And, like you said, in contrast,people are so not like that.
I know my track record has notbeen the best.
(43:50):
I could say I'm going to doyour hair tomorrow, you know.
Or that's totally different,your tree has got a lot of hair.
I mean like, look, if I had achild that had as much hair as
your daughter, I would be like,okay, give me another day, let's
put it in a ponytail.
(44:11):
Okay, let's work our way intowhat this is really going to be,
because you know, but that'swhy it's like, okay, so the lord
is, like, he is top tier right,so he's the, he's the best at
all of this and that's why it isa covenant, it is a bond.
Like I said, it's more than justa promise, because promises can
(44:35):
be broken, you know when, inthe way that, in human
interaction and dealings.
But he is our example and he isshowing us that he put so much
into it, into it, he put so muchthought, he put in so much in
it.
So we can understand, and Ithink that's why he took his
time explaining the story, like,even with um abram, he had to
(44:58):
have the, the ritual, the signwhich was abram's circumcision.
You know, know what I mean?
That was just a sign, you know,just to show like I'm committed
to you, you do this thing andyou, you know it is that is a
seal to say, okay, you're mypeople, you know.
And so um he, all of thesewords have, I feel like Cat
(45:24):
Williams words have definitions,all these words have meaning.
Do you not know the meaning ofthese words?
And so that's why it'simportant to kind of look at
that, look at those definitionssacredness, bond, covenant
(45:45):
because it's more than justsomething that is said.
He backed it up with his lifeand he's not even finished.
He is coming back again.
Right, the whole story isn'teven over.
So it's beautiful to begin to,like you were talking about, to
begin to see the connection withAbram and Sarah in the story of
(46:10):
redemption, because he startedthis process long ago, but he
always had it in mind that hewanted us to be together, you
know.
So all of this is pointingtowards us being together, one,
you know.
That's the point, right, right,and, like you said, he wants us
(46:35):
to have that connection and betogether, like you said, and we
know that it's leading up up.
Like you said, the story is notover, it's not, it's, it is not
over, and and we have.
And so that's why it's soimportant to make sure that we
(46:59):
know that, um, if God made thiscovenant in the beginning and
it's still going through, thatlets us know right there that we
are still in that covenant.
A lot of people think, okay,yeah, that was the Old Testament
.
No, god sent Jesus to redeemthe law, but he didn't break the
(47:24):
covenant.
You know what I'm saying?
He didn't break the covenant.
You know what I'm saying hedidn't break.
That you know.
And so we know that.
You know, we know that Christ,established through Christ's
blood, is the culmination of theconvention promise that was
made to Abraham.
You know what I'm saying.
(47:46):
I tell you.
You know, I really really thinkthat a lot of people lose sight
of that because we have to knowthat it leads up to Jesus.
Yeah, it leads up to you knowthat's.
You know Jesus is the ultimateoffspring through whom all
nations are blessed.
You know what I'm saying.
(48:07):
And so when you think about thatand I and I think you kind of
touched on a little bit then butwhen you think about that, you
know we have um, what do youthink about why people don't?
Well, let me, let me say Iain't gonna say people, because
I don't want y'all to think thatthat girl don't see it.
Everybody don't believe that.
I don't want y'all, I don'twant y'all to think that that
girl done said everybody don'tbelieve that.
(48:27):
I don't want y'all, I don'twant y'all to say that.
But when you think about some ofthe people in the world, how
they are not really acceptingwhat Christ did and how he came
to redeem us, what do you thinkabout that, when it comes to
trying to implement this topeople, oh gosh, you mean just I
.
I mean we're talking aboutsharing the good news at this
(48:48):
point, right, I mean even justbelieving that he did it.
I mean the scripture tells wegot to believe that he is first,
you know, and it's like, oncewe connect with that, it's like
step by step, and this is whatgets me, because God did things
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step by step, just like thiswhole story in the Bible, and he
even showed us in order to evenhave faith, you got to first
believe that he is.
So it's like we have, we got tounderstand that the power of
agreement in our mind is soimportant, it's valuable, so
it's like okay, some people likebe like okay, well, I believe
in god, but, um, you know, Idon't think.
(49:36):
I don't agree with this, Idon't agree with that.
Look, hey, we're supposed tosay that I believe in god, but
what does that mean?
Everything that you just said,right, you know that.
That, don't you know that?
That that mean Everything thatyou just said, right, don't you
know that?
That's what?
But means that you justscratched out everything at the
beginning of the lesson.
That but is washed away, it'sgone, it's washed, everything
that you said.
I believe in God, but you mightas well just say I don't
(49:59):
believe in God.
Right, and it's like I said,it's going to always be an
excuse, it's going to always besomething that can be said.
There's so many arguments outthere, so many cases, but there
is a case for price and thereality is that until you try
(50:22):
them, until you know foryourself, you won't really know.
And I think people, probably, Ithink we all, were fooled at
one time or another.
I think we all were kind oftricked or deceived and beguiled
by the enemy of this age intothinking that he is not all that
(50:47):
, he says, that he is right andso, yeah, it's gonna always be
some sensation there's.
But but that's why, like Ithink you mentioned it earlier,
my people perish for a lack ofknowledge and it's really we
need to know.
There's not if, if, um, if thegovernment is giving us a
(51:08):
million dollars each family, amillion dollars, and I didn't
know about it and I threw mymail away, I don't get the card
in the mail, I will not be ableto receive my million dollars
because I don't know nothingabout it.
I'm lost.
I'm lost in the sauce.
I'm going to be millionless,but those who knew about it,
(51:33):
they get to get their car andthey go and spend their money
and do what they need to do andI think that's kind of like the
difference.
No, I'm not saying to increasetheir knowledge and make
knowledge your idol, but I mean,come on into the fold and at
least try this what you say.
Try him.
You know, we can see, we canreason with him, we can go on
this journey and figure it out,and there has been plenty of um
(51:58):
atheists and agnostics that hasjust asked.
Very plain are if you are whoyou say you are, then show me
boom.
And he did, he did, he wouldencounter the unbeliever, right,
right, so like we need to comeout of our whole little game,
(52:19):
stop playing these games andlike, whatever Right, you know,
because it's there's alwaysthese rhythms and these things,
these soap boxes that we can geton.
But no, if we're going to takeit seriously and be for real,
like you said, when God gives usto take it seriously, if we
take it seriously and we just begenuine, he will respond.
(52:42):
He will meet.
People got thousands oftestimonies out here about being
in jail and crying out to himand him showing up.
All kinds of these Muslims,even right now, to this day, are
counting Jesus.
He is walking into their dreams, into their lives.
You know what I'm saying.
So it's like no, of course he'sreal, you know Right, and he is
(53:04):
able to explain himself andshow those who really want to
know that he's real.
And just like he did Abrahamyou know what I'm saying he
called on him and was like hey,I got something for you.
I need you to pick everythingup and come, follow me, I'll
show you where to go.
Look, I'll show you where to go.
(53:25):
I said look, I'll show youwhere to go.
You know what I'm saying?
Look, and and and the thingabout it.
We have to realize that.
And you said something that, uh,it was just because we was
talking about knowing and wehave to know, and it's like you
were saying about themillionaire and I and the thing
about it.
What really, you know, like yousay, it's some people that will
(53:46):
miss it, but most people won't,because that is that
materialistic thing.
You know what I'm saying?
They're gonna be there, butwhen it comes to your life and
your salvation, most people willjust miss it, it will pass
their head, you know, becausenow you don't have that.
(54:09):
This is where thatunconditional and conditional
comes in.
Right, yeah, if, if, if theworld, if, if the government say
I'm going to give you a milliondollars, all you got to do is
do this.
They can do that because nowthey're going get something, you
know right.
(54:29):
But now, but see with, with god, we have to know that, yeah, we
might not get it right now.
You know, god sent things in inseed form, you know.
So we might not get it rightnow.
And so a lot of people that'swhere the impatient comes in
impatient, they don't want it,they don't want to wait, they
want it right now.
And so we have to know that, um,you know, and looking at
(54:52):
abraham's story and we get readyto wrap it up, so, um, looking
at abraham's story, it is apowerful reminder of god's
faithfulness and the importanceof living a life of faith and
obedience.
You know, we, we know that Godmade this covenant with Abraham
and we have to know how it caninspire us to just be able to
(55:14):
trust in God.
You know, even when it seemslike it's impossible, even when
it seems like it's not going tohappen.
Even when it seems like thewhole world is up against you
and I'm a living witness aboutthat you have to know that we
can really, really, truly juststep out and be obedient to what
(55:36):
God has called us, because itis a greater story.
It is a great, trust me, weknow that is a greater story.
It is a great, trust me, weknow that is a greater story.
Yes, I wanted, um, to really endright there, because we can go
on and on to the break of dawntalking about Abraham, because,
like I said, that was one of my,that was the thing that God had
(55:59):
told me.
You know it it was.
It was an Abraham moving.
God just said okay, get up, Ineed you to go.
I'm like, really, god, okay,you know.
And so I um just want toencourage somebody that are, you
know, god has tasked them withsomething.
I want to encourage someone toknow that God is a covenant God.
(56:24):
Whatever he tells you to do,trust me, he is going to stick
to you.
He is going to make sure thatyou get to an expected end, you
get to where he has shown you.
Yes, because that's who he is.
And so I want to go ahead andend it right there.
(56:48):
Did you have anything else tosay about Abraham?
How his story helped us?
You know it helped us in ourlives in the world.
You know it help us in ourlives in the world.
You know and I really just wantto go back to that word where
we started in, at Genesis 15.
(57:08):
The thing about it is that Godspoke to Abraham himself, right
Right, and he dealt with what healready knew was going on in
his heart.
He started out by saying don'tbe afraid, abram.
I mean, if we could just pauseand learn how to focus and to
(57:29):
hold on to what he said, and ifyou hold on, then you will be
able to behold.
That's what we got to learn howto do is hold and behold.
Like that, hold and behold.
Like that.
Hold and behold.
He said I am your shield, yourbearing great reward, and if we
(57:52):
just stay right there, healready carved out everything
for Abraham and he basicallytook care of everything just in
that moment.
So I just want to say toeverybody that know that he will
do it, yes, and know that hewill speak to you himself, he
will reveal himself to you andyou will be comforted and you
(58:13):
will.
He will give you what you needto be sustained in this process.
So it's not like you just startnow and then it's over.
No, he's going to speakdirectly to your soul, that
personal place.
Don't be afraid, abram, right,right, I am your shield.
So he is pointing everythingback to himself.
(58:33):
So, as we are holding on, asall of us are yet walking and
and the things that god has forus to do, and we can just go
back to the word and rememberwhat he said, hold on to that
thing and we'll be able to seeit, see it to where it will come
to pass, because his word istrue.
(58:53):
Amen, oh, my goodness, oh gosh,we can keep going.
That right there, that when,when he said do not be afraid,
see, do not be afraid is isimplying that you and your
emotions at that moment, and see, we cannot allow our emotions
(59:13):
to come into play.
That's because that's when theenemy if you look at the first
scene, he, he played on Eveemotions, right, talking about
oh, you won't die, you surelywon't die.
You know he played on that.
And so we have to know that inthose moments when we have, you
know, are in our feelings, orwhen we are in it.
(59:36):
We need to go back to the word.
What did God say, right?
Go back to the word.
What did God say, right?
Go back to the word.
When you start getting fearful,go back to the word, because
whatever he spoke hallelujah,whatever he spoke to you is
going to come to pass.
You cannot allow and I'mspeaking to myself, yes, you
(59:59):
know, I'm telling you becauseyou know we have to know that
the word is what God gives andthat is what's going to stand.
That's it and so.
So, anyways, I'm full.
I am full because you know Ihave read this story over and
(01:00:23):
over again, but tonight it justreally really touched a little
different and went home.
So, eldon Harper, I want to saythank you.
If you can pray us out, thenI'll say you know all that
little extra stuff at the end,okay.
So, father, we thank youtonight for us being together
and have an opportunity to delveinto your topics of your word.
(01:00:46):
Lord that we may be encouraged.
And I just lift up each andevery hearer, all of us.
God, I pray that we don't behearers only, but doers.
Why?
Because we will find ourselvesgoing back to your word.
We will find ourselves beingbuilt up in our faith, because
you have already providedeverything that we need through
(01:01:07):
your scripture.
So, father, if we can just getthose foundational skills, these
basic skills, lord God, just tointeract with you and to learn
how to be in relationship withyou, father, you will continue
on with us because you'realready working out your plan.
So, god, as this is happening,let us work out our own soul
(01:01:30):
salvation.
I just pray for strength for thepeople right now, strength, oh
God, and encouragement, lord,god, that they will be able to
pick up even more and to stand.
So I thank you for increasingyour people tonight, thank you
for increase in those who belongto you, and I pray for even an
encouragement for those to comeinto the kingdom to know that it
(01:01:50):
is better with Christ, becauseyou are a covenant keeping God,
you are somebody that we cantrust, that we can depend on, so
I thank you for speaking andtouching to their hearts even
now, god.
In Jesus' name, we pray God,amen, amen, jesus, god, have
(01:02:12):
mercy.
That was so good.
I'm, you know, like I said, godis a covenant keeping God and
he will not.
His word will not return to Him.
So I just want to say thank youagain.
Elder Harper, thank you foreverybody that is tuning in.
Even if you're tuning in nextweek, next year, I'm so excited
(01:02:37):
that you have tuned in, that youhave tuned in and Anyways, if
you want to give him the Christ,you have to act, a-c-t-s.
You can acknowledge that youare a sinner.
You can confess with your mouthand believe with your heart
that Jesus Christ died on thecross and rose again.
(01:03:00):
You can turn from your yourevil, evil ways Christ died on
the cross and rose again.
You can turn from your um, yourevil, evil keneval ways.
And then you can seek after abible, um, bible-based church,
seek after his face.
Okay, um.
And also I wanted to say Ididn't say this last week, but
if you want to be a blessing andI know that I have to make sure
(01:03:20):
I say this because you know itI just have to be able to say
this if you want to be ablessing and I know that I have
to make sure I say this becauseyou know it I just have to be
able to say this if you want tobe a blessing, you can always go
to buy me a coffee atq4christcom and and you can
always give then, because Idon't do cash out.
Sorry y'all, I don't do cashout.
So, anyways, also, you can umgo to the website wwwq4christcom
(01:03:46):
.
Like I said, I am an arthur nowyou can go and pre-order the
book.
I'm so excited about that.
And um, make sure you go intothe?
Um parking.
That's, that's, that's enough.
I think that's a lot.
My God, that is a lot, and Iprobably didn't say everything.
(01:04:09):
I didn't, you know, but I'llcome back later on.
But so, anyways, I thank youagain.
Thank you, elder Harper.
Next week, we will be on YouTube, and I love Facebook.
I love Facebook.
Harvard, next week, we will beon youtube and I I love facebook
(01:04:29):
.
I love facebook, but youtube.
Next week we will be startingon the on youtube.
So, um, if you ain't connectedto the youtube channel, I'll
make sure you you get connected,so so, anyways, I thank you
again and please, please, justthank you for christ.
All right, bye y'all.
Hey, everyone, everyone, how are you doing on
this beautiful?
It's Monday, right?
Okay, let me tell y'all, y'alldon't understand.
Your girl has been runninglight Like I've been doing some
work like a bee today.
(00:44):
So, anyways, I want to get onhere.
First I want to say thank you,thank you, thank you, thank you
to everyone that you like, youshare, you commented, whatever
you've done.
I'm so excited, you know, yada,yada, yada, all that stuff.
I'm excited because, let metell y'all, you know, know, this
is something that I do takeserious.
(01:05):
Okay, this is something youknow, when, um, when God call
you, you have to make sure youtake it serious.
So, anyways, I am so excited tobe up here, um, and, like I
said last week, this is thebooks of the Bible book club.
I'm so excited that we havestarted this and I want to just
(01:29):
extend this to everyone becauseit is something different.
Right, we're taking the bookclub to a different level.
Right, we are not just saying,okay, there's nothing wrong with
reading other people's books,but we want to read the word of
God.
Okay, and I want, like I said,anybody can participate in this.
(01:50):
All you got to do is go grabyour Bible, grab your phone.
You know what I'm saying, andso you don't have to go and
spend money on books.
You could go and get your Bible, because this right here will
enrich your life.
Okay, my pastor, pastor Darius,I always say you get better
with the Bible and that meansyour life get better and
(02:14):
everything that you're doing.
You know it is the mostimportant thing that you need to
be studying in your life is theBible.
Okay, so we want to make surethat we are doing our due
diligence when it's when itcomes to that.
It's almost like when you, um,when you get a table to put
together and you don't read theinstructions, it's going to be
(02:36):
messed up.
Okay, you might miss somescrews here and all that stuff.
I want to make sure that youknow the word of God.
So, anyways, anyways, I am soexcited to be doing this with
Elder Harper.
Can't you just put some heartsin the chat for Elder Harper?
(02:58):
I'm so excited that ElderHarper is here.
How are you doing tonight, elderHarper?
I'm doing pretty good, doingpretty good.
Thank you for asking.
I am well.
I know that it has been a goodlong week for all of us and
we're just looking to gettogether, have some fun and
refresh ourselves in thesescriptures.
Girl, there you go, girl, girl,girl, girl, girl.
(03:25):
I say, when I say it's been aweek, I feel like like I was
talking to my cousin earlier andI said you know, I was thinking
that our Zoom meeting wastomorrow and I said, because I
(03:45):
said I'm so sorry, I ain't gonnanobody do it, I got something
to do tomorrow.
And she said cuz it's next week.
I said oh, I said see, I said Idone did about a hundred.
My mama say a hundred, I donedid about a hundred things
already.
I said my bad, cuz my bad.
But you know, god is so good.
So, anyways, I'm, I'm soexcited about um being being up
(04:08):
here with you.
Um, you know, for the peoplethat don't know elder harper,
could you just give a little bitof background of who elder
harper is, so people can knowthat elder harper has been in my
life for a long time now?
Okay, yeah.
So thank you.
For all the newcomers, those whomay not have been on with us
(04:30):
before, my name is DarleneHarper and I am a good friend of
Kiana's from way long time ago.
Let's see where you was at,maybe 2007.
So 2007, 2000.
Yeah, 2007.
Yeah, I think it was.
I had to be mad because my yeah2007.
I think it was little yeah 2007.
Kindergarten, yes, wow.
(04:51):
And now they are graduating.
They will graduate from college, college, college, y'all.
Wow, that's a good long time.
And you know, it's just beencool to trek along with my
sister, yana, and faith, youknow, um, on and off through the
years and just been alongside,you know our families and that
(05:15):
kind of thing.
So, yes, it's, it's, and, and tobe doing something like this
right now is is more than anhonor.
So, probably, and like I said,I'm just so, I'm so excited
you're here and in my sister app, said hillary, she used to be
here, but she is.
She is um doing her boss thing.
(05:35):
Okay, all right.
So, anyways, um, like I saidearlier, we are studying the
books of the bible and last weekwe um had the opportunity to
start with the beginning withwith the first sin, and so this
day we're going to continue withwith genesis, but we are going
(06:00):
to move right along to the toabraham.
So I'm excited about this one,because this one, this one is,
is is near and dear.
So what I'm gonna do now is saya quick prayer before we go any
further, because we want tousher in the holy spirit and we
want to make sure that we, umare are doing that.
(06:24):
That's one thing that I do ismake sure that the Holy Spirit
is in the room, because, youknow, I don't want people to be
thinking that I'm talking fromKiana.
I'm not talking from Kiana.
So, anyways, I'm going to say aquick prayer and then we'll
move forward.
Okay, so, dear Heavenly Father,we come to you.
First.
(06:44):
We want to say thank you.
Thank you, god, for carving outthis time for us to be able to
discuss your word.
God, we just thank you now for,um, all the things that you
have brought us through on lastweek, god, to bring us here, god
, god.
We know that the enemy comes tokill, steal, steal and destroy,
but, god, we will still standstrong in the word of God.
(07:07):
So we thank you now, god, forwhat you have done.
God.
We thank you for even theobstacles that you have brought
us through, god.
God, we thank you now for evenany illness that you have
brought us through, god.
We just thank you now foranybody that is under the sound
of my voice, that is wonderingwhat they can do, god, we ask
you now to give them clarity,god.
(07:27):
God, we thank you now forallowing them to be able to
receive this word, god, from you, god, because we know that it
was sent from heaven, god, andso we thank you now, god, for
what you're going to do.
God, we just thank you now foryour people, god, that are
thirsty and hungry after theword of God, and so we just want
to give your name to praise Godfor sending them here, god, so
(07:50):
they can be able to learn alittle bit more, and we can
learn together, god, because weknow that iron sharpens iron,
and so we thank you now, god,for your love.
We thank you now for your grace.
We thank you now for your peace, god.
God, we thank you now for goingto Elder Harper's home and
representing for her,representing on tonight, god,
(08:10):
and so we thank you now, god,for what you are doing.
We thank you now.
It's in Jesus' name that I pray.
Amen, amen, amen, praise him,hallelujah.
Yeah, girl, I am so excitedbecause I um this one right here
(08:31):
.
Like I said, um, we are talkingabout the call of Abraham and
the covenant promise.
Right, when you know that Godhas given you a promise.
You can always refer back towhat he gave to Abraham.
(08:51):
Right, we know that he gaveAbraham that promise.
We know that you know he gavehim just the threefold you know,
I'm saying the threefoldpromise, which is the land, the
descendants and the blessings ofall nations.
So we know that we can get whatAbraham got.
And so that right there just islike ooh, okay, okay, god, you
(09:17):
know, and the thing about it onething that the reason why for
me this is so important isbecause, if you're like me, you
are waiting on a promise thatGod has given you.
Oh yeah, you know what I'msaying.
You are waiting on a promisebecause you have stepped out on
faith, you have did something,so you are waiting on a promise
(09:40):
from, from him.
So I'm gonna start and I'm gonnaread genesis um 12, 1, and I
think I'm gonna just read 1through 6, genesis 1.
I think I'm gonna just read 1through 6 and it, and I'm gonna
read it.
Oh wait, no, you said genesis12, yes, genesis 1 through 6.
(10:02):
Okay, and it says the Lord hassaid to Abraham go from your
country, your people and yourfather's household to the land.
I will show you, I will makeyou into a great nation and I
will bless you.
I will make your name great andyou will be a blessing.
(10:23):
I will bless those who blessyou and whoever curses you I
will curse and all people onearth will be blessed through
you.
So Abraham went, as the Lordhad told him, and Lot went with
him.
Abram, I'm talking about Abraham, abram.
Abram was 75 years old when heset out from Haran.
(10:45):
He took his wife Sarah, hisnephew Lot, all the possessions
they had accumulated and thepeople they had acquired in
Haran, and they set out for theland of Canaan.
And they arrived there, it said.
Abraham traveled through theland as far as the site of the
great tree of Morah at shechem.
At that time the canaaniteswere in the land.
(11:09):
Let me just read.
I'm gonna read the rest.
The lord appeared to abram andsaid to your offspring I will
give this land.
So he built an altar there tothe lord who had appeared to him
.
From there he went all towardsthe hills east of Bethlehem and
pitched his tent, with Bethlehemon the west and Ai on the east.
(11:31):
There he built an altar to theLord and called the name of the
Lord.
Then Abram set out andcontinued towards Negah.
So what translation was that?
Well, that was the NIV.
I'm so sorry, so sorry.
I'm sorry, that was the nivy'all.
Uh, so, anyways, one of the thefirst key thing that I wanted
(11:57):
to kind of discuss tonight andtonight with you is, um, god's
covenant with abram abraham.
But we know, before he wasabraham, he was abram.
Okay, um, and that's, that's awhole another, that's a whole
another day, for there's a whole, nother story for a different
(12:20):
day, because god, when, when Godgets you where he wants you,
he'll change your name.
And that's when you know thatis Okay.
So we want to talk about God'scovenant with Abraham, and so we
know that the profound natureof God's covenant with Abraham.
(12:40):
It laid the foundation for thenation of Israel and ultimately,
for the coming of Christ.
And so, when you think aboutthat, the promise that God had
gave to Abraham, not the promise, but the call, we wanted that
covenant when you think aboutthat, what do you think about
(13:03):
when it comes to us, and how Godshows his long term plan of
redemption, you know.
So what do you think about that?
When you think about the wholepromise and the covenant that
God has with Abraham, and yousaid, in reference to the long
term plan of redemption yes,yeah, you know, really, like you
(13:26):
said, the foundation was laid.
I think I feel like you know Iprobably said this already, but
it's one of my favorite thingsabout the Lord is that, you know
, he already knew what he wantedto do, right, so he wasn't
(13:49):
taken.
He wasn't taken off, you know,by anything that happened.
He, he's a beginning and theend.
He knew what he wanted to dofor the foundations of the world
.
So it's just amazing to me thatin his genius, um, he's
starting out with a story, he'sstarting out with these people.
(14:11):
You know this, this, this theprogression of family, even you
know, starting out from adam andeve, and just how everything
has progressed, even to where weare now with Abram and Sarai,
and so to me, it's just amazingbecause he knew what he wanted
(14:32):
to do and he had the end in mind.
So I just think that it's justone of my favorite things,
because it might not seem like,uh, you know, we're thinking
about redemption right away whenyou read this.
You know, because you might notbe able to recognize okay, yeah
(14:54):
, he's, he's gonna, he's gonnafix everything in the beginning
when you're reading it, whatit's like.
You gotta hang in there, readthe story.
You gotta keep reading, yougotta, you gotta and that, and
you know, and that's like withus.
You know what I'm saying.
Um, because he gives us that.
You know that promise and and,like I said, if you're like me,
(15:17):
you know that god done, promisedyou some things.
You know if you, if you a, ifyou are a child of God just like
how Abram before you know hewas when he, he was a child of
God, and so we know that we, wecan get that promise.
That's just like when, when,when you talk to your children
and you say, oh, okay, you knowif you do this or I need you to
(15:41):
do this, and I promise you thatthis is it, and so they be
looking for it.
But we have to know thatsometimes it don't come exactly
then.
But we have to know that God issovereign, right.
We know that he's a man thatcannot lie.
So we know that he is going tofulfill his covenant.
(16:03):
He is going to fulfill hispromise, he is going to do it.
So we know that he is going tofulfill his covenant.
He is going to fulfill hispromise, he is going to do it.
So we have to know, just likehow Abraham was, like, okay, you
know, I know that God is, he'staking me from here.
He told me to leave, and it'slike when God tells us to do
(16:24):
something, we don't know what todo, we don't know what's going
to happen, what's going to bethe.
We don't know that you knowwhere it's going to lead.
So the promise encompassedthree key elements land,
offspring and universalblessings, like I said earlier.
And so we have to realize thatthis is not just a contract, but
(16:47):
a divine commitment initiatedby God and rooted in his
sovereign grace.
So we know that the promise isthat's what it is.
There ain't no contract Like,if you do this, if you do this,
they ain't going to do that.
You know what I'm saying.
Like it's, it's that's God inhis sovereignty.
You know what I'm saying.
(17:07):
So, um, you know, I think thatthat's that's really, really
good because, like we know thatGod is, is unconditional.
His love is very, veryunconditional for us.
You know you got some peoplethat that that say, ok, I
promise that I'm going to dothis if you do this.
Right, that ain't what God said.
(17:30):
So, when you think about, whenyou think about that conditional
and that unconditional, and howsome people, when they do make
their covenant, when they maketheir promise, how, what do you?
When, when you think about it,how do you can tell whether they
(17:50):
are really unconditional andthey are or just saying stuff,
wow, yeah, you know.
I mean there's a big differencebetween conditional,
unconditional.
So I mean we're talking aboutpeople making promises.
In general, I will say it is sonatural to think of, you know,
(18:11):
whether somebody else is goingto uphold their end of the
bargain, whether we got enoughto really do it anyway, you know
, and, and I mean we're talkingabout various types of promises,
various types of promises andand even covenants or contracts
and things like that, wherepeople, um, you know it could,
(18:33):
we people could be fickle sovery, I mean even starting out.
Well, even with the, with theplan to stick to it to the end.
And you know, the, the countingup the costs, may not have
added all the way up in theirminds, because there's
conditions, you know, and so.
But that's what with god?
(18:56):
You know he already counted upthe cost.
He was sovereign, like you said.
So with him this is sodifferent.
That's why I love how I sayuniversal blessings, because
he's the only one that we cantrust and stand on.
That is not going to falter,it's not going to fail right,
because people will fail.
(19:17):
And that's why that scripturesay when, uh when, man, things
are impossible.
Well, with god, all things areimpossible, but with God, all
things are possible, everything,I mean.
You know, and that's the thingyou know.
Sometimes we forget howunconditional God is.
You know, and that's when westart to like not realize that
(19:42):
we are, since we are children ofabraham, we, we get that that
same faith that I mean get thatsame um inherences that abraham,
the children of abraham, got um.
The bible says um in galatians3 and um 3 and 29, and if you
(20:03):
are Christ, then you areAbraham's offspring cares
according to promise.
So we know that we can.
You know, since we are God'schildren and we are children of
Abraham and we are descendants,we can get those promises.
So we don't have to worry.
We don't have to worry about it.
(20:24):
You know that that covenant,you know, god gave us that that
is something that he cannot,because he is a God that cannot
right his word would not come tohim anyway.
You know, return back to him,boy, and I'm so glad that he was
the one who started it intomotion, because he had to do
something real big and real longto cause us to understand, to
(20:48):
cause us to see, and and get him, you know, and not something
short, not something quick, notjust, you know, uh, something
little like okay, yeah, I'mgonna give you this.
No, like he, his unconditionallove for us went beyond time,
right, right, you know.
(21:08):
So it goes beyond the moment,it goes beyond.
It goes beyond what we're doing, what we're not doing.
He had to establish himself.
He had to establish what hewanted, between us, to be
himself.
And that's why I love thislater on, where it talks about
(21:29):
him looking for somebody.
But he had to look towardshimself, because he can't depend
on humankind.
He is the one, who is the onlyone that is capable, right, and
that's that's why he had to puton human form and come down,
right, you know, because he knewthat we would not, you know, be
(21:51):
able to hold our end of thebargain.
No, no, he knew that he had toroll that already, right,
because look at what happened inthe beginning, when he created
Adam and Eve.
He knew, he knew.
(22:13):
He said y'all ain't gonna holdit up.
We didn't come over there,y'all ain't gonna do right,
y'all ain't gonna do right.
He said I have to connect youto a covenant to keep you
tethered to the promise.
I gotta let you myself too, soI'm.
That's why I'm grateful forthis inheritance.
(22:34):
We're talking about right,right, you know?
So, yeah, that that is, that isgood.
And so the next, the next thingthat we are going to talk about
is the faith and obedience.
Oh, that is so good Because wehave to and I talked to somebody
(22:55):
about faith, being able to stepout of faith.
We have to know that Abraham'sjourney of faith began with a
call um to leave everything.
Oh, my goodness, somebody sayeverything, type it in the
screen, everything, everything,everything familiar and step
(23:17):
into the unknown.
Okay, so, and I, you know I canspeak on this because that was
something that that God had todo.
And I always talk about when,when God moved me from where I
was living to, you know, here, Isaid this Abraham move.
(23:38):
You know, I always associatethat with it because I was like
comfortable, like I didn't, Ididn't, and I always associate
that with it because I was likecomfortable, like I'm good, you
know what I'm saying, and God islike no, I need you, I need you
to showed you know howremarkable it was.
(24:13):
What do you think about when itcomes to faith and Christians
these days?
Because a lot of Christians,when you talk about faith, they
shy away from what is like okay,really really coming out of
their comfort zone, you know.
So, when we think about Abrahamand his faith, how do you think
(24:34):
that that coincides with theworld today?
Because there's a lot of peoplethat speak on faith but are
scared to step out on faith.
So how do that coincideide?
How do you think that that?
You know, um, this story,abraham responds should, where
it should look like in our, inthe culture today, but it don't.
Um, yeah, um, you know, inevery generation there's going
(25:01):
to be challenges.
There is going to be challenges, there's going to be opposition
, as there has been from thebeginning, from the garden,
right, the time that we'reliving in.
It just seems like, for example, we're in 2024, right, I think
(25:22):
we're still in 2021.
It's already August, it's aboutto be 2025.
Right, already, already,anyways.
And so we can just think of howthings were different from where
we are now, even when we wereyounger and our young adulthood,
(25:42):
our childhood, you know, andhow the different persuasions or
the different influences thatexisted at that time were
different.
Right, there are differentmajor influences and kind of
themes that are in this nationand kind of themes that are in
(26:05):
this nation.
Some of them have existed forages, but how they look and how
it's playing out have shiftedfrom one way to another.
So I'm saying all this to sayis that currently, I feel like
there was a lot of fear andtrauma and insecurity, things
that would shake people and notcause them to be as secure as we
(26:34):
should be in the things of God.
Right, maybe the times were verymuch more simpler in Abram's
day.
I mean, he totally was comingup from idol worship.
No, we need to go our best,because his father and them were
not, like they were christians,you know, but at the same time
(26:55):
they were comfortable.
You know, that was their world,that was a world, right, and so
our world as it stands today,it seems to just come along with
a lot of I don't know, you know, a lot of apprehension.
I mean financially, everything.
(27:18):
Things just seem to be more upin the air, you know, as they
were, as they probably weren'tbefore, you know.
So trusting in God in this timereally requires some faith, you
know, and obedience in this timewill cause a person to have to
(27:39):
believe, for you know everything, and I'm not saying that it
wasn't for anyone, because,again, he was picking up.
So it's different, but it's thesame.
You know it's different, butit's the same because.
(28:01):
But it's just what isinfluencing people in that
generation.
So our challenges are differentthan his, but it's still.
It's still that makes so muchsense that you know, when you
think about it, because, um, youknow, like, like, like you said
(28:21):
, their time, of course, wasdifferent than our time, and um,
so now, when you look at thetimes now, it's like, oh,
everything's so expensive andgod, you asked me to quit my job
.
Oh, you know what I'm sayinglike it's, it's.
People are just like no, youknow, I, I, I don't know.
(28:42):
See, here's the thing theydon't know whether it's God's
force or not.
And that's the problem, right,because you know, we have to
know.
The Bible says in Genesis 15and one after this word, after
this, the word of the Lord cameto Abram in a vision.
Do not be afraid, abram, I amyour shield, your very great
(29:06):
reward.
So we have to be able torecognize that that is the Lord
talking to us, because sometimes, when you and I think that that
is a lot of people's problem,because the Bible says my sheep
knows my voice, right, and so ifyou don't know that, that's the
, that's the voice of the lordtelling you to quit your job,
(29:28):
right, yeah, yeah, we're tellingyou to start a business, right,
you know all, right, okay, it'stime for you to write that book
or it's time for you to do this.
You don't.
If you don't understand andknow that what the voice of the
lord is, then it's going to behard, and so that's right there.
(29:49):
That's the number one thing.
Right there is, people don'tknow God's voice.
Yeah, and I think that you'reright.
That is one of the biggestthings, because I've heard the
statistics to it that this timethat we're living in is one of
the greatest times where peopleare not really going to church
(30:09):
as much as times used to be, andeven the children of this age
are haven't been going to church.
Like, like christianity.
It seems like it's going down,but that's such a trick of the
enemy, because it's like we aresupposed to be so far past where
we are.
So hearing his voice is likethe least, it's the least of
(30:32):
things that we should beunderstanding right now.
So, if we're listening to, um,oh, yeah, I'm, I'm supposed to
be doing this because, you know,it's like not having money will
cause people to go into thesedifferent ventures or things to
try and chase dollars and servemammon, and it's like it makes,
(30:53):
it makes sense to them, right,this is what I need to be doing.
But if we don't have thatcentering on him, yeah, no, it,
no, it's it's gonna seem likeright, a crime, because it may
have come into the place ofbeing their God and they're
going to realize it.
You know, because we don't knowthe voice of the Lord, right,
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and you know, like, you know howAbraham, when he was waiting on
Isaac, right, and so it justseemed like it was impossible.
First off, you know he was 75,.
You know, and if we think aboutthat in these days, we're like,
so you're going to go somewhere, just let it go, let it go.
(31:39):
But you know, you know, but itseemed like it was humanly
impossible and and that's that'sthe thing, and that's what a
lot of people problem arebecause they you know this world
has made it where, um,everything is so skeptical,
(32:01):
skeptical about getting orskeptical about doing, like you
know and it's and it's, you know, to that point where you like,
you're like, okay, now I don'tknow, I can't do that or or
whatever, and so, but anotherthing that we get from Abraham,
his life teaches us about, um,the patience and the waiting and
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the trusting in god's time.
You know his timing, you knowwe know that it was doubt and um
, and everything seemed like itwas not going to do, you know,
come to pass.
But we know that abraham wasable to.
You know, even in, even when itwas that doubt, he was able to
still trust god.
(32:45):
And so how big it is, in thesedays and times when you got to
really, really, really, reallyknow that you can trust in the
Lord and lean not to your ownunderstanding, and being able to
wait on God, how important Ithink that's an important thing
right there.
So how important do you thinkthat that is nowadays right
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there?
So how important you think that, daddy is nowadays?
Yes, it is definitely importantreally to to fight the current
being lulled into indifferenceand complacency.
And abram and Abram, he said hejust said okay, yes, right, you
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know what I mean.
Yeah, he might have probablylooked over a little bit, like,
okay, I'm getting doubtful, butit's really like a lot of I
don't know, you know, and a lotof kind of wavering, a lot of
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lukewarmness.
You know, we, we not, um, wehard pressed, but we're not hard
pressed.
You know, being in the westernchurch, being in the US, people
super blessed, but yet theystill got poverty and poverty
mindsets.
So it's like can we just getsomewhere and make a decision?
Right, you know, becausethere's already so many things
(34:16):
that's feeding, you know, andalready wanting to satisfy, so
it's like what do I actuallywant more?
Right, right, you know, look,and, and you know, we have to
know that, like you, like yousay, we have to be able to trust
him you know what I'm sayingand trust his trust that, um, it
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is coming, you know, and andit's not it, you know, god is
going to keep his commandment,god is going to give us that
promise, you know.
And but a lot of people they getso impatient these days.
It's like that microwavementality.
(35:00):
We want it now.
Give me my money.
Oh, I just saw that I'm so lateto the party.
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.
So you know, we want what wewant, and Pastor Darius was
teaching about yesterday, abouthow the middle, you know, we see
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what God is going to do wedon't got the promise and we
don't have that vision of theend, but now we want, we see
what God is going to do.
Or we don't got the promise but,and, and we don't had that
vision of the end, but now wewant it, we ready, you know, but
it ain't.
It don't work like that, youknow.
You know we have to make surethat we don't get doubtful when,
when God gives us that, thatyou know, and and and look at
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what, um, what abraham wentthrough.
He went through a lie, and ify'all haven't read the bible,
y'all need to go read genesis,about everything that abraham
went through after he got his,you know his promise after he
got his, his, um, his.
You know god, his call andeverything you know.
(36:04):
But one thing we have toremember, and I want to read the
scripture Romans 12 and two donot be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by therenewal of your mind that by
testing, you may discern what isthe will of God, what is good
and acceptable and perfect.
So we know that, if we can, wehave to.
You know, in order to trust Godfully and solely, we have to
(36:27):
make sure that we aretransforming our minds.
I'm quite sure, like I'm quitesure, that Abraham was just like
okay, god, you, you, um, um,look, I'm 70, I'm 75.
Okay.
So you said I'm gonna have ababy.
I'm 75, okay.
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So you said I'm gonna have ababy.
Oh, okay, so I'm 80, god, okay,you know, can you just imagine
how Sarah was?
You know she was like, yeah,you know, especially when, when
she, when they said she gonnahave a baby, she laughed.
You know, she laughed.
She was just like, okay, yousaid this a long time ago, but
we have to know that sometimesthe promise, just like, okay,
you said this a long time ago,but we have to know that
sometimes the promise, just likewhen the farmers, when they go
(37:11):
and they sow their seeds itain't going to come the next day
, oh, my gosh, I have definitelybeen that impatient farmer.
I mean I go out, I would go outevery day and be looking, and I
mean wait, and I just wanted tohurry up and grow already, not
not just past the, the dirt.
I wanted to already be to whereI could get the stuff off the
(37:33):
vine and start chopping up andeating.
I want to chop it up already,but that's not how it worked.
We know that.
You know, um, when, when we sowit, it it takes time to grow,
it takes time to get there, ittakes time, and you know, I want
to say something about that too.
(37:54):
Like again, seed time of harvestis still in god's sovereignty,
because god gonna find a way tomake sure we stay humble and
realize that we are not him,that we are not on his timing.
He going to make you wait, likeyou might as well let it go and
go with it, because the seedtime of harvest that whole
(38:17):
principle is, it will nevercease.
So it's like, listen, if it wascoming fast, we would think it
was us, we would think that wereally have nothing to do with
it.
That's like, no, you're gonnatrust the whole process right,
because no, I was gonna say like, even while the promise is
(38:45):
coming, there's other thingsthat he's working on, you know.
So it's like he's so sovereignhe's teaching us to trust him.
Trust him in general, not justfor what he said he was going to
do.
But what he said was going tobe done still embodies and
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encompasses so much more thanwhat we really realize.
So we got to let him be God, sowe can see the whole picture of
what he really meant.
Anyway, right, right, you know,and and that is so, so true,
because I was, um, I think I sawsomething the other day.
I I don't know where I saw it.
I see so much stuff Y'all,don't pay me no attention, but I
(39:28):
see some stuff.
Right, but they were saying youcan do everything.
Anyway, you can do everything,you can plant the seed, you can
put, you know, go and dig it up,plant the seed and do
everything, but you can't makeit rain.
Only God can do that.
You know what I'm saying.
(39:49):
So, you, because we know thatin order for our harvest to come
through, we know that we needthe rain, right so, but you
can't make the rain.
Only God is the one that can dothat.
You know what I'm saying.
And so we have to in that momentwhen God tell us, but we still
have to do on our part, meaningthat we have to in that, in that
moment when God tell us, but westill have to do on our part,
meaning that we have to stick toour faith, we have to stick to
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trusting, we have to stick todoing what God has called us to
do.
If God tells you to relocate,then guess what God said
relocate?
You know, and and all the time,like it all boils down is to is
whether you know God's voice ornot.
You know, and I feel like Ifeel so strongly about it, I
just don't, I don't know why Ican't let that go, but it all
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boils down to to that you know,because a lot of people, you
know, when God and that's themain thing you got to know that
in that time of waiting, in thattime of patience, in that time
of saying, of waiting, in thattime of patience, in that time
of saying, okay, god, you toldme this and I done seen the
(40:52):
vision.
I know where I'm going, youknow, but I don't know none of
this.
Like, uh, pd has said yesterdayum, he said it's like god done,
show you a movie trailer.
You don't know you.
You know it's gonna be good,but you just don't know.
You know how it's gonna happenin the middle.
So it's like like like, okay,you're right, yeah, we, we just,
(41:14):
we just, we gotta be okaybecause it is, is like you said,
it's gonna be's going to begood, because we know what
Romans 8 and 28 says it's goingto be good.
We know that we have to be ableto trust, anyways, that's a
(41:41):
whole another lesson by itself,right there, anyways.
The next one is the concept ofthe covenant.
Um, we have to have thebiblical understanding um of the
covenant with abraham.
You know is is the the biblical, it runs throughout the
(42:02):
scripture.
You, you know it's a covenant.
It's more than an agreement.
It is a sacred bond, oftensealed with a sign or ritual
that you know God is.
It reflects his unwaveringcommitment to his people and his
desires for a relationship withthem, and so we have to know
that that is the main thing.
(42:23):
Is the bond that God has givenus.
He has given us.
He has said okay, this is whatI am doing, this is the bond.
That's like.
You know that, mother andchildren, we know that when our
mom would tell us that they'regoing to do something, we knew
that they were going to do itbecause they had that bond.
My mom always told us your wordis your bond right, meaning
(42:48):
that that's the only thing thatyou have, meaning that you can
trust me, you can be able toknow that I am going to do what
I say.
I am going to do so.
When you think about that, thatsacred bond, or you know, that
unwavering commitment that Godhas given us, what comes to mind
(43:09):
when you think about that, thatsacred bond, that unwavering
commitment, you know I mean itwas all leading up to Jesus
anyway.
So, yeah, it makes me think ofJesus, because I mean he died on
the cross, you know.
(43:30):
It makes me think of my Lordand Savior, because he still got
up on that cross when he hadall power to not do that.
You know what I mean.
And, like you said, in contrast,people are so not like that.
I know my track record has notbeen the best.
(43:50):
I could say I'm going to doyour hair tomorrow, you know.
Or that's totally different,your tree has got a lot of hair.
I mean like, look, if I had achild that had as much hair as
your daughter, I would be like,okay, give me another day, let's
put it in a ponytail.
(44:11):
Okay, let's work our way intowhat this is really going to be,
because you know, but that'swhy it's like, okay, so the lord
is, like, he is top tier right,so he's the, he's the best at
all of this and that's why it isa covenant, it is a bond.
Like I said, it's more than justa promise, because promises can
(44:35):
be broken, you know when, inthe way that, in human
interaction and dealings.
But he is our example and he isshowing us that he put so much
into it, into it, he put so muchthought, he put in so much in
it.
So we can understand, and Ithink that's why he took his
time explaining the story, like,even with um abram, he had to
(44:58):
have the, the ritual, the signwhich was abram's circumcision.
You know, know what I mean?
That was just a sign, you know,just to show like I'm committed
to you, you do this thing andyou, you know it is that is a
seal to say, okay, you're mypeople, you know.
And so um he, all of thesewords have, I feel like Cat
(45:24):
Williams words have definitions,all these words have meaning.
Do you not know the meaning ofthese words?
And so that's why it'simportant to kind of look at
that, look at those definitionssacredness, bond, covenant
(45:45):
because it's more than justsomething that is said.
He backed it up with his lifeand he's not even finished.
He is coming back again.
Right, the whole story isn'teven over.
So it's beautiful to begin to,like you were talking about, to
begin to see the connection withAbram and Sarah in the story of
(46:10):
redemption, because he startedthis process long ago, but he
always had it in mind that hewanted us to be together, you
know.
So all of this is pointingtowards us being together, one,
you know.
That's the point, right, right,and, like you said, he wants us
(46:35):
to have that connection and betogether, like you said, and we
know that it's leading up up.
Like you said, the story is notover, it's not, it's, it is not
over, and and we have.
And so that's why it's soimportant to make sure that we
(46:59):
know that, um, if God made thiscovenant in the beginning and
it's still going through, thatlets us know right there that we
are still in that covenant.
A lot of people think, okay,yeah, that was the Old Testament
.
No, god sent Jesus to redeemthe law, but he didn't break the
(47:24):
covenant.
You know what I'm saying?
He didn't break the covenant.
You know what I'm saying hedidn't break.
That you know.
And so we know that.
You know, we know that Christ,established through Christ's
blood, is the culmination of theconvention promise that was
made to Abraham.
You know what I'm saying.
(47:46):
I tell you.
You know, I really really thinkthat a lot of people lose sight
of that because we have to knowthat it leads up to Jesus.
Yeah, it leads up to you knowthat's.
You know Jesus is the ultimateoffspring through whom all
nations are blessed.
You know what I'm saying.
(48:07):
And so when you think about thatand I and I think you kind of
touched on a little bit then butwhen you think about that, you
know we have um, what do youthink about why people don't?
Well, let me, let me say Iain't gonna say people, because
I don't want y'all to think thatthat girl don't see it.
Everybody don't believe that.
I don't want y'all, I don'twant y'all to think that that
girl done said everybody don'tbelieve that.
(48:27):
I don't want y'all, I don'twant y'all to say that.
But when you think about some ofthe people in the world, how
they are not really acceptingwhat Christ did and how he came
to redeem us, what do you thinkabout that, when it comes to
trying to implement this topeople, oh gosh, you mean just I
.
I mean we're talking aboutsharing the good news at this
(48:48):
point, right, I mean even justbelieving that he did it.
I mean the scripture tells wegot to believe that he is first,
you know, and it's like, oncewe connect with that, it's like
step by step, and this is whatgets me, because God did things
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step by step, just like thiswhole story in the Bible, and he
even showed us in order to evenhave faith, you got to first
believe that he is.
So it's like we have, we got tounderstand that the power of
agreement in our mind is soimportant, it's valuable, so
it's like okay, some people likebe like okay, well, I believe
in god, but, um, you know, Idon't think.
(49:36):
I don't agree with this, Idon't agree with that.
Look, hey, we're supposed tosay that I believe in god, but
what does that mean?
Everything that you just said,right, you know that.
That, don't you know that?
That that mean Everything thatyou just said, right, don't you
know that?
That's what?
But means that you justscratched out everything at the
beginning of the lesson.
That but is washed away, it'sgone, it's washed, everything
that you said.
I believe in God, but you mightas well just say I don't
(49:59):
believe in God.
Right, and it's like I said,it's going to always be an
excuse, it's going to always besomething that can be said.
There's so many arguments outthere, so many cases, but there
is a case for price and thereality is that until you try
(50:22):
them, until you know foryourself, you won't really know.
And I think people, probably, Ithink we all, were fooled at
one time or another.
I think we all were kind oftricked or deceived and beguiled
by the enemy of this age intothinking that he is not all that
(50:47):
, he says, that he is right andso, yeah, it's gonna always be
some sensation there's.
But but that's why, like Ithink you mentioned it earlier,
my people perish for a lack ofknowledge and it's really we
need to know.
There's not if, if, um, if thegovernment is giving us a
(51:08):
million dollars each family, amillion dollars, and I didn't
know about it and I threw mymail away, I don't get the card
in the mail, I will not be ableto receive my million dollars
because I don't know nothingabout it.
I'm lost.
I'm lost in the sauce.
I'm going to be millionless,but those who knew about it,
(51:33):
they get to get their car andthey go and spend their money
and do what they need to do andI think that's kind of like the
difference.
No, I'm not saying to increasetheir knowledge and make
knowledge your idol, but I mean,come on into the fold and at
least try this what you say.
Try him.
You know, we can see, we canreason with him, we can go on
this journey and figure it out,and there has been plenty of um
(51:58):
atheists and agnostics that hasjust asked.
Very plain are if you are whoyou say you are, then show me
boom.
And he did, he did, he wouldencounter the unbeliever, right,
right, so like we need to comeout of our whole little game,
(52:19):
stop playing these games andlike, whatever Right, you know,
because it's there's alwaysthese rhythms and these things,
these soap boxes that we can geton.
But no, if we're going to takeit seriously and be for real,
like you said, when God gives usto take it seriously, if we
take it seriously and we just begenuine, he will respond.
(52:42):
He will meet.
People got thousands oftestimonies out here about being
in jail and crying out to himand him showing up.
All kinds of these Muslims,even right now, to this day, are
counting Jesus.
He is walking into their dreams, into their lives.
You know what I'm saying.
So it's like no, of course he'sreal, you know Right, and he is
(53:04):
able to explain himself andshow those who really want to
know that he's real.
And just like he did Abrahamyou know what I'm saying he
called on him and was like hey,I got something for you.
I need you to pick everythingup and come, follow me, I'll
show you where to go.
Look, I'll show you where to go.
(53:25):
I said look, I'll show youwhere to go.
You know what I'm saying?
Look, and and and the thingabout it.
We have to realize that.
And you said something that, uh,it was just because we was
talking about knowing and wehave to know, and it's like you
were saying about themillionaire and I and the thing
about it.
What really, you know, like yousay, it's some people that will
(53:46):
miss it, but most people won't,because that is that
materialistic thing.
You know what I'm saying?
They're gonna be there, butwhen it comes to your life and
your salvation, most people willjust miss it, it will pass
their head, you know, becausenow you don't have that.
(54:09):
This is where thatunconditional and conditional
comes in.
Right, yeah, if, if, if theworld, if, if the government say
I'm going to give you a milliondollars, all you got to do is
do this.
They can do that because nowthey're going get something, you
know right.
(54:29):
But now, but see with, with god, we have to know that, yeah, we
might not get it right now.
You know, god sent things in inseed form, you know.
So we might not get it rightnow.
And so a lot of people that'swhere the impatient comes in
impatient, they don't want it,they don't want to wait, they
want it right now.
And so we have to know that, um,you know, and looking at
(54:52):
abraham's story and we get readyto wrap it up, so, um, looking
at abraham's story, it is apowerful reminder of god's
faithfulness and the importanceof living a life of faith and
obedience.
You know, we, we know that Godmade this covenant with Abraham
and we have to know how it caninspire us to just be able to
(55:14):
trust in God.
You know, even when it seemslike it's impossible, even when
it seems like it's not going tohappen.
Even when it seems like thewhole world is up against you
and I'm a living witness aboutthat you have to know that we
can really, really, truly juststep out and be obedient to what
(55:36):
God has called us, because itis a greater story.
It is a great, trust me, weknow that is a greater story.
It is a great, trust me, weknow that is a greater story.
Yes, I wanted, um, to really endright there, because we can go
on and on to the break of dawntalking about Abraham, because,
like I said, that was one of my,that was the thing that God had
(55:59):
told me.
You know it it was.
It was an Abraham moving.
God just said okay, get up, Ineed you to go.
I'm like, really, god, okay,you know.
And so I um just want toencourage somebody that are, you
know, god has tasked them withsomething.
I want to encourage someone toknow that God is a covenant God.
(56:24):
Whatever he tells you to do,trust me, he is going to stick
to you.
He is going to make sure thatyou get to an expected end, you
get to where he has shown you.
Yes, because that's who he is.
And so I want to go ahead andend it right there.
(56:48):
Did you have anything else tosay about Abraham?
How his story helped us?
You know it helped us in ourlives in the world.
You know it help us in ourlives in the world.
You know and I really just wantto go back to that word where
we started in, at Genesis 15.
(57:08):
The thing about it is that Godspoke to Abraham himself, right
Right, and he dealt with what healready knew was going on in
his heart.
He started out by saying don'tbe afraid, abram.
I mean, if we could just pauseand learn how to focus and to
(57:29):
hold on to what he said, and ifyou hold on, then you will be
able to behold.
That's what we got to learn howto do is hold and behold.
Like that, hold and behold.
Like that.
Hold and behold.
He said I am your shield, yourbearing great reward, and if we
(57:52):
just stay right there, healready carved out everything
for Abraham and he basicallytook care of everything just in
that moment.
So I just want to say toeverybody that know that he will
do it, yes, and know that hewill speak to you himself, he
will reveal himself to you andyou will be comforted and you
(58:13):
will.
He will give you what you needto be sustained in this process.
So it's not like you just startnow and then it's over.
No, he's going to speakdirectly to your soul, that
personal place.
Don't be afraid, abram, right,right, I am your shield.
So he is pointing everythingback to himself.
(58:33):
So, as we are holding on, asall of us are yet walking and
and the things that god has forus to do, and we can just go
back to the word and rememberwhat he said, hold on to that
thing and we'll be able to seeit, see it to where it will come
to pass, because his word istrue.
(58:53):
Amen, oh, my goodness, oh gosh,we can keep going.
That right there, that when,when he said do not be afraid,
see, do not be afraid is isimplying that you and your
emotions at that moment, and see, we cannot allow our emotions
(59:13):
to come into play.
That's because that's when theenemy if you look at the first
scene, he, he played on Eveemotions, right, talking about
oh, you won't die, you surelywon't die.
You know he played on that.
And so we have to know that inthose moments when we have, you
know, are in our feelings, orwhen we are in it.
(59:36):
We need to go back to the word.
What did God say, right?
Go back to the word.
What did God say, right?
Go back to the word.
When you start getting fearful,go back to the word, because
whatever he spoke hallelujah,whatever he spoke to you is
going to come to pass.
You cannot allow and I'mspeaking to myself, yes, you
(59:59):
know, I'm telling you becauseyou know we have to know that
the word is what God gives andthat is what's going to stand.
That's it and so.
So, anyways, I'm full.
I am full because you know Ihave read this story over and
(01:00:23):
over again, but tonight it justreally really touched a little
different and went home.
So, eldon Harper, I want to saythank you.
If you can pray us out, thenI'll say you know all that
little extra stuff at the end,okay.
So, father, we thank youtonight for us being together
and have an opportunity to delveinto your topics of your word.
(01:00:46):
Lord that we may be encouraged.
And I just lift up each andevery hearer, all of us.
God, I pray that we don't behearers only, but doers.
Why?
Because we will find ourselvesgoing back to your word.
We will find ourselves beingbuilt up in our faith, because
you have already providedeverything that we need through
(01:01:07):
your scripture.
So, father, if we can just getthose foundational skills, these
basic skills, lord God, just tointeract with you and to learn
how to be in relationship withyou, father, you will continue
on with us because you'realready working out your plan.
So, god, as this is happening,let us work out our own soul
(01:01:30):
salvation.
I just pray for strength for thepeople right now, strength, oh
God, and encouragement, lord,god, that they will be able to
pick up even more and to stand.
So I thank you for increasingyour people tonight, thank you
for increase in those who belongto you, and I pray for even an
encouragement for those to comeinto the kingdom to know that it
(01:01:50):
is better with Christ, becauseyou are a covenant keeping God,
you are somebody that we cantrust, that we can depend on, so
I thank you for speaking andtouching to their hearts even
now, god.
In Jesus' name, we pray God,amen, amen, jesus, god, have
(01:02:12):
mercy.
That was so good.
I'm, you know, like I said, godis a covenant keeping God and
he will not.
His word will not return to Him.
So I just want to say thank youagain.
Elder Harper, thank you foreverybody that is tuning in.
Even if you're tuning in nextweek, next year, I'm so excited
(01:02:37):
that you have tuned in, that youhave tuned in and Anyways, if
you want to give him the Christ,you have to act, a-c-t-s.
You can acknowledge that youare a sinner.
You can confess with your mouthand believe with your heart
that Jesus Christ died on thecross and rose again.
(01:03:00):
You can turn from your yourevil, evil ways Christ died on
the cross and rose again.
You can turn from your um, yourevil, evil keneval ways.
And then you can seek after abible, um, bible-based church,
seek after his face.
Okay, um.
And also I wanted to say Ididn't say this last week, but
if you want to be a blessing andI know that I have to make sure
(01:03:20):
I say this because you know itI just have to be able to say
this if you want to be ablessing and I know that I have
to make sure I say this becauseyou know it I just have to be
able to say this if you want tobe a blessing, you can always go
to buy me a coffee atq4christcom and and you can
always give then, because Idon't do cash out.
Sorry y'all, I don't do cashout.
So, anyways, also, you can umgo to the website wwwq4christcom
(01:03:46):
.
Like I said, I am an arthur nowyou can go and pre-order the
book.
I'm so excited about that.
And um, make sure you go intothe?
Um parking.
That's, that's, that's enough.
I think that's a lot.
My God, that is a lot, and Iprobably didn't say everything.
(01:04:09):
I didn't, you know, but I'llcome back later on.
But so, anyways, I thank youagain.
Thank you, elder Harper.
Next week, we will be on YouTube, and I love Facebook.
I love Facebook.
Harvard, next week, we will beon youtube and I I love facebook
(01:04:29):
.
I love facebook, but youtube.
Next week we will be startingon the on youtube.
So, um, if you ain't connectedto the youtube channel, I'll
make sure you you get connected,so so, anyways, I thank you
again and please, please, justthank you for christ.
All right, bye y'all.
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