OPEN HEAVEN 23 APRIL 2019 – DEADLY GENEROSITY

OPEN HEAVEN 23 APRIL 2019 MEMORISE:
My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Proverbs 6:1-2

OPEN HEAVEN 23 APRIL 2019 READ: Genesis 43:1-10

1And the famine was sore in the land.

2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.

3 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:

5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?

7 And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?

8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.

9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:

10 For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.

OPEN HEAVEN 23 APRIL 2019 MESSAGE WITH HYMN, PRAYER POINTS AND BIBLE READING

A guarantor is someone who voluntarily becomes the legal Surety for another person’s debts or responsibilities. He or she is a person who undertakes to ensure that an agreed future event takes place.

A guarantor also comes to the aid of someone else to meet a need at a cost which involves a great deal of personal risk. In Proverbs 17:18 and proverbs 22-26, the Bible teaches against standing as Surety for friends and acquaintances.

These passages indicate that anyone who offers himself or herself as Surety for debts is a foolish person without understanding.

Following common occurrences around the world today, it is only advisable to stand as guarantor for members of your immediate family.

Based on God’s understanding of human nature, the Bible views the role of a guarantor as a form of deadly generosity. God knows that the guarantor will always be left in a vulnerable position and is bound to suffer loss in the long run.

God did not take this position only because of his knowledge of human nature, but also because of Christ’s first-hand experience as the ultimate guarantor of Mankind’s salvation. Hebrews 4:15 says:

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

Having suffered so much to obtain our Salvation, Jesus knows that it will be difficult for any human being to survive the disappointments and pain that comes with being a surety. 

The Old Testament records one incident relating to someone standing Surety for another. In it, Judah stood as a guarantor for Benjamin, to save Jacob’s family from starvation (Genesis 43:9, Genesis 44:32).

Similarly, Jesus is the only person in the New Testament who stands as a guarantor. Hebrews 7:22 says:

“By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.”

Jesus is the mediator of the Covenant between God and His people, and He is also its guarantor God’s promise are all guaranteed in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Knowing the consequences of standing as Surety for anyone, Jesus willingly chose to stand for us because of the love he has for us.

He paid the price of His life and today he sits in heaven as the one who guarantees the term of the New Covenant that Grant’s us access to the family of God.

How generous He is! Jesus is still offering His extravagant generosity to all today, and it is an offer of love. Accept it today and your life will never be the same again!

OPEN HEAVEN 23 APRIL 2019 ACTION POINT:Give God thanks for His extravagant generosity in making you a partaker of His new covenant.

OPEN HEAVEN 23 APRIL 2019 HYMN 9: IN CHRIST ALONE

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

OPEN HEAVEN 23 APRIL 2019 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 27-28 and Jeremiah 23:16-32

Genesis 27-28 King James Version (KJV)