Mother's Day 2023*

We at Everlasting Covenant have always experienced wonders and miracles on Mother's Day. Couples having trouble conceiving children found that God opened the womb, and they were able to have children. The connection between mothers and miracles is written of in Scripture. Even after the fall of man, this special purpose of women was clearly spoken: "And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living." (Gen. 3:20). The Hebrew word for "Eve", which is hava, means "life, living, life-giver", and the individual pictographic Hebrew letters of hava have the meaning, "Behold the bond, the protector, the inner room". Women are bonded to the life they bring forth in a strong way. They are protective of that life, and "the inner room" associated with the letters of this word can relate to the womb, the inner chamber of life. This is a powerful purpose, to be the life-giver, and protector of all living. Now, however, this God-created purpose of women has been devalued by our society. There is an account in Scripture where the king of Israel, Solomon, having been gifted by God with wisdom, discernment and understanding in order to rule God's people rightly (1 Kings 3:9-14), must decide a dispute between two women, each claiming to be the rightful mother of a baby. Both mothers lived in the same household and had given birth within 3 days of each other. The baby of the second woman to give birth died, and she took the baby of the first woman while she was sleeping, and replaced that living child with her dead child. The first mother said to the king: "And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear." (v. 16-21). A true mother knows her own child. When confronted, the second woman claimed that the living child was hers. The king considered the matter, and said: "...Bring me a sword...Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels (womb) yearned (heated) upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it." (v. 22-26). The real mother of the living child would do anything to protect and save its life, while the lying mother agreed to have the child cut in half (v. 26). By this, the king was able to determine who the true mother of the living child was, and all Israel marvelled at the wisdom of God that had been given to the king. (v. 27-28). Not only did all of Israel acknowledge the wisdom of Solomon in his decision, but the whole world knows this account of the wisdom of Solomon. The king identified the true mother of the living child from her protective nature. True mothers are life-givers, not life-takers. In Proverbs 31, a mother is prophesying to her son, the king. What is fit behavior for a king, and what kind of wife should the king seek? What kind of mother should she be? The wife of this king should be virtuous, making her more valuable than rubies, the rarest and most costly of the precious gems. He can trust her, as she always seeks to do him good and not evil. This wife's vision is not limited to her own household and to the present, but is expanded to include rich fields, and fruitful vineyards that will yield into the future. She is diligent, not only for her own household, but for the poor and needy as well. She and her family are clothed in the fabric of royalty and salvation (crimson). Her clothing is not just outer garments, but they reflect her inner character of wisdom and the kindness of the law. Because of her excellence, and the excellence of her household, her husband is given equal honor and position of authority as men older than himself would normally receive. Both her husband and children know and acknowledge that she is a woman of excellence in every way. This woman is of such an excellent spirit, impacting her whole household and community, because: "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates." (v. 30-31). The life-giving, protective, and impactful spirit of motherhood is based upon a kind of spiritual motherhood in heaven. It is the mother that gave birth to all who believe: "But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath a husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was , are the children of promise." (Gal. 4:26-28). This is the prophetic promise given to us from our mother, Jerusalem that is above. Although anti-Semitism, and other forms of ethnic and racial hatred are proliferating today, Scripture tells us that all the people of the earth came forth from one blood, and from the eight souls that survived the flood in the ark. Our mother is the Jewish city of heaven, even as our Messiah, Jesus, is a Jewish Messiah. Ladies, God has empowered you to be life-givers, life protectors, and an inner room of life. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 5/14/23 message to the church. To contact us, submit a prayer request, give a praise report, or to support this ministry: P.O. Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 OR Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, theshroudofturin.org, and END TIME SCHOOL, also on Facebook. You can also get a free ebook titled "The Shroud of Turin- A Perfect Summary" at www.TheShroudofTurin.org/freebook.

Mother's Day 2021*

Mother's Day carries a very important message for the Body of Christ. From the very beginning, the LORD gave Adam revelation concerning mothers. The name that Adam gave his wife was a prophetic name. God had told Adam and his wife that she would bear children, even though she had not yet had a child. Because of this prophetic promise, Adam named her "Eve": "And Adam called his wife's name Eve (meaning "life, living"); because she was the mother of all living." (Gen. 3:20). Adam believed the word of the LORD in naming Eve. There are many examples of women in scripture who had been barren, but were later able to bear children because God "opened her womb" (Gen. 29:39, 30:22). In fact, God made a promise to His people, both male and female regarding the ability to bear or bring forth: "Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle." (Deut. 7:14). The blessing of fruitfulness (v. 13) was not limited by gender. Males received the same prophetic promise. Those in Christ walk in this truth as well: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:28). We are all familiar with the miracle of the conception of Jesus. The angel prophesied to Mary, a young unmarried woman, that she had found favor with the Lord, and would have a child, a son: "And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus (in Hebrew-Yeshua, or Salvation). He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon (eperchomai- supervene, overtake, to come upon) thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow (episkiazo- envelop in a haze of brilliancy, a shining cloud surrounding and eveloping persons with brightness; root meaning: an image cast by the interception of light) thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Lk. 1:31-35). The miraculous conception would be accomplished by the power of God through the Holy Ghost. We can also see that in the meaning of the words used, brilliancy, light, and brightness, is involved. We will see more of this later. In Mary's case, she was also informed by the angel that her cousin, Elizabeth, who had been barren, had also conceived a son in her old age (Lk. 1:36). Jesus talked about this same power of the Holy Spirit to His disciples, who were men. As Jesus gave them His Great Commision to preach and teach the Gospel, the repentance and remission of sins in His name, to all nations, He added: "And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued (endyo- to sink into (clothing), arrayed in) with power from on high." (Lk. 24:46-49). Jesus again mentioned this power to His disciples in Acts: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come (the same word, "eperchomai", see above, as was used by the angel to Mary) upon you (: and ye shall be witnesses unto me...and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8). The disciples needed to be "endued" from above, by the Holy Spirit, just as Mary needed to be come upon by the same power, in order to go forth in the Great Commission and be fruitful in the preaching of the Gospel. As the angel explained to Mary, being "overshadowed" by the Holy Spirit in order to become fruitful involves great light or brilliancy, according to the Greek word episkiazo used. The same power was involved in both cases. We can also see the importance of "brilliancy, and brightness", in Jesus' parable of the ten virgins. It was only the five wise virgins, having enough oil (always associated with the Holy Spirit) in their lamps for light, who would enter into the marriage celebration with the bridegroom. The five foolish (without oil for light) would be locked out when "the door was shut"(Mt. 25:1-10). The same shining brilliance is described by Daniel of the "wise ones" in the last days who know their God and DO (great exploits), even in the time of extreme tribulation (Dan. 11:32-35). Daniel also described the wise as shining: "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they shall turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (Dan. 12:3). Isaiah prophesied the promise of God this way: "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing and cry loud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth...and make the desolate cities to be inhabited." (Isa. 54:1-3). The promise of God to come upon, to endue, to overshadow and empower with the Holy Spirit is to all wo are in Christ, male and female. None of God's people are to be barren any longer, but to be given power to increase, and to be fruitful. *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 5/9/21 message to the church. To contact: PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705 or Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com Look for us on Facebook, Twitter, and endtimeschool.com

Our Alma Mater*

 

This weekend was Mother's Day. Important to know for this related discussion today is an interesting term used to refer to the university that educated us, which is our "Alma Mater". This term literally means, "nourishing, dear, bountiful mother, of a mother". As believers, we have this kind of "alma mater" also, as we will see.

If you have a "Mother's Day" for remembering and honoring the mother who raised you, you are keeping the command of the LORD when He said, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you." (Ex. 20:12). Honoring mother and father has a long term effect and blessing upon your life, according to this commandment.

However, we also have a mother whom we often neglect to remember and honor. From this mother, our "alma mater", came all that we know about God. Our Heavenly Father describes Himself as married to Israel (Isa. 54:5-8, Jer. 31:31-33, Hos. 2:7), so if Israel is our Father's wife, then she is our mother as well. This mother, even in the face of persecution to death, kept the oracles of God for us, the future generations that she did not yet know, and could not even imagine:

"What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles (logion- the words or utterances of God: Root word = logos: a word uttered by a living voice, the sayings of God) of God." 

                                                                                                              Rom. 3:1-2

Because of the faithful dedication of our mother to this commission to keep these oracles of God, other nations recognize the unique relationship that our mother, and consequently we, have with God (Deut. 4:4-8). Not only did our mother keep the oracles in the form of the Old Testament, but in the writing and keeping of the New Testament. The New Covenant, was prophetically revealed to her and planted within her as a seed of promise (Jer. 31:31). And when the time came, our spiritual mother, the Jews, kept and delivered to us the new oracles of God for us, as well. The importance of the Word in our faith, and in our salvation cannot be overstated, and Jews gave us this. Scripture describes the two branches, Ephraim and Judah, becoming one in His hand. They cannot remain divided.

Our mother, the Jewish people, kept the oracles of God, and she birthed in faith the Son of God, and consequently the rest of us. In the Book of Revelation, this dedicated and faithful mother is described:

"...the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne...Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the presence of the serpent...And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."  Rev. 12:4-17 (excerpt)
We saw an example of this protection of God recently in the headlines, as Israel was bombarded by 600 rockets. While their natural military defenses called "the iron dome" failed and allowed the missiles to enter, God covered and provided miraculous protection.

With the sacrificial heart of a mother, Israel and the Jewish people received spiritual blindness so that we might be able receive the good news of salvation. They gave up their knowledge of the Messiah for a time specified by God. We may think that this blindness was not chosen by them, but their prophets told them beforehand that it was by the word and will of God (Isa. 6:9-13). Would we have been willing to give up our salvation so that others might receive it? Paul told us that their blindness and falling was for our benefit (Rom. 11:8-11). However, as keepers of the oracles of God, our mother, the Jews, also knew that God promised that all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26-27, Isa. 59:19-21). As a mother nurtures hope in her heart for future days, our spiritual mother keeps hope in that promise of God. Shouldn't we also sacrifice - at least in a prayer of agreement with her hopes in the Word of God? It is indeed the least we can do for "Mom".

We cannot and must not separate ourselves from the mother who gave birth to us, who nurtured us diligently, and still provides the daily bread that feeds our souls. Paul makes clear that our roots are Jewish, as he defines the Jew not solely by a physical identity, but as one who is circumcised in the heart (Rom. 2:28-29). As we see with Abraham, Moses, and so many others in scripture, without the faithful obedience of these many generations of Jews, we would not have had the blessing that we walk in today. In Romans 11, Paul describes our Jewish parent this way:

...as life from the dead (v. 15)

...as a holy root (v. 16)

...as the root that supports us (v. 18)

...concerning the election, ... as beloved for the sake of the fathers (v. 28)

We became partakers of this root and fatness of our mother who is described as an olive tree (v. 17). As Proverbs 23:22 says, "Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise (hold as insignificant, disrespect) your mother when she is old." 
We should never become haughty children, believing we are now superior to the one who mothered us, or in thinking that we have surpassed her in understanding, and are now no longer in need of her (Rom. 11:20).

This Mother's Day, as we honor our natural mothers, let us also honor our spiritual mother, the Jews, who sacrificed so much on our behalf. Let's not ignore or neglect our relationship with her any longer. God promised her that her children would be returned to her (Isa. 49:22-23). This is not only the return of her natural children, but also the joyous return of her spiritual children, "the rest of her offspring... who have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Without "mother", we wouldn't be here. Without "mother", we wouldn't have found our salvation, our joy, our hope, and our eternal future.
Pray for the lost sheep of Israel. Pray for Jerusalem. Pray for our "alma mater", our nourishing, dear, bountiful spiritual mother, Israel and the Jewish people.

*The above is based upon the 5/12/19 message to the Church from Dr. Kenneth Stevenson.

 

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https://everlastingcovenant.sermon.net/main/main/21320220
 

Prayer of Salvation for all who desire to receive Jesus as their Savior: Lord Jesus, I desire to know You, and to know Your salvation. I believe that You died for me, and that You were resurrected for me. Forgive me of my sins. Come into my heart, change me, fill me with Your righteousness. Inscribe my name in the Lamb's book of life. Baptize me in Your Holy Spirit, so that I can learn the truth of Your Word and ways, and be strengthened in my walk all the days of my life. You are the hope of my life, and You are my eternal life. I place my trust in You, Lord, for myself, and my whole household. Use me to do the will of the heavenly Father, Who sent You, in Whose name You came. In Your name, and in thanks and praise I pray, Amen.

 

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