Encore!!! Birth of a Nation !!!

Genesis 12

We are walking in today: Encore!!! Birth of a Nation !!!

Genesis 12:1-3 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
12 Now Adonai said to Avram, “Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a GREAT NATION, I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM CONCEPT OF CONSTITUTION

Like every other governmental system, every kingdom has a constitution. The constitution of any nation has to do with the manner in which the government of that nation is organized, particularly with regard to the way sovereign power is exercised.

It embodies the basic laws and principles that guide that government and lays out the specific powers and duties of that government in relation both to the people and to other nations and governments. A constitution also delineates, guarantees, and protects the specific rights of the people who live under its jurisdiction.

In a totalitarian state or a dictatorship, the supreme leader, along with a ruling elite of cronies appointed by him, determine the laws and conditions under which the people live—laws usually designed for their own benefit and enrichment at the people’s expense. In a republic or democracy, on the other hand, power lies with the people.

They elect leaders to represent them and then petition those leaders to enact laws and policies that will benefit the electorate. In a democracy the leaders are answerable to the people. Those who fail to perform adequately or who violate the people’s trust can be voted out and replaced. Through their elected leaders, the people establish their own constitution.

In a kingdom all power resides in the king. It is the king, therefore, who establishes the constitution for his kingdom. The constitution of a kingdom is the documented will, purposes, and intent of the king. It expresses the king’s personal desires for his kingdom and sets out the principles. This is why it is always good to have a king who is righteous, benevolent, and compassionate, with a genuine concern for the welfare of his citizens.

A ROYAL CONTRACT

In a kingdom, the constitution is a royal contract that the king has with his subjects—his citizens. It is not the contract that the citizens have with the king, and this is a very important distinction. In the first, the contract originates with the king and in the second, with the people.

A contract generated by the people is a democracy, the complete opposite of a kingdom. A royal contract, on the other hand, originates completely and exclusively in the heart, mind, and will of the king. His citizens have no input concerning the terms or conditions of the contract.

He set out all the conditions and parameters beforehand. Everything was already in place by the time Adam arrived on the scene. All Adam had to do was follow the terms and conditions that God had already established:

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:26-28).

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there He put the man He had formed….The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die (Genesis 2:8,15-17).

As you can see, this entire contractual process was completely unilateral on God’s part. Adam had no input at all; in fact, when the contract was drawn up, he wasn’t even around yet! After he was created, Adam simply received the completed contract from the hand of the King.

The same is true regarding God’s contract with Abraham. First, God determined what He was going to do and then presented Abraham with the completed contract.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great , and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:1-3).
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”…He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:1,5).

A kingdom constitution, then, is the document that constitutes the king’s desire for his citizens. In a democracy, the people plan and decide what they want to happen to them. But in a kingdom, the people have no say. Instead, the king tells you what he wants to happen to you. This is why God would make a statement like:

For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me , and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you… (Jeremiah 29:11-14).

THE KING’S WILL AND TESTAMENT

The Bible is the expressed will of the King in written form. It is the constitution of His Kingdom. It is the king’s will expressed in tangible, written form. This means that the constitution is not limited to an oral contract. Putting the constitution in written form sets it up as a standard that can be measured easily as well as making its terms and conditions clear to everyone.

As we have already seen, the words of the king become the law of the land. His words do not produce the contract; his words are the contract. And out of this contract—this constitution—comes the law. The constitution is not the law; the constitution produces the law.

What I mean is that the constitution establishes the terms, conditions, and rights of life in the kingdom. This leads to laws designed with the express purpose of ensuring that all of those terms, conditions, and rights are preserved, protected, and accomplished. The constitution is the will and the testament of the king for his citizens.

The Bible, then, comprises God’s documented thoughts concerning His citizens—His expressed will, desire, and intent for the human race He created in His own image.

SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF THE KINGDOM CONSTITUTION

1. The source of the constitution is the king, not the citizens. Whereas the Constitution of the United States begins with the words, “We the people…” the constitution of God’s Kingdom says, “I, the Lord…” We who live in democratic states can always amend our constitution because we, the people, created it. But we cannot change God’s constitution because we didn’t write it.

The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from His land (Psalm 10:16).

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations (Psalm 33:11).

2. The constitution contains the benefits and privileges of the citizens. It spells out the advantages that come with being a Kingdom citizen as well as everything the citizens can expect from the King. In the Bible, these often take the form of promises. Here are just a few:

Do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:31-33).

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).

3. The king obligates himself to the tenets of the constitution. A king and his word are the same, and when he speaks, his word becomes the constitution. So when a king’s word is spoken (or written down), the king is obligated to carry it out. That is why the Bible states that whatever God says, He will do and whatever He promises, He will bring to pass. Once the King of heaven speaks, it is as good as done. God cannot fail to keep His Word, for if He did, He would cease to be God.

4. The constitution contains the rights established by the king for the citizens. In addition to the benefits and privileges accruing to Kingdom citizens, the constitution also delineates and sets forth their rights.

5. The constitution cannot be changed by the citizens—only by the king. This principle should be perfectly clear by now and needs no further elaboration.

6. The constitution is the reference for life in the kingdom. How are Kingdom citizens supposed to live? What are the values, the ethics, the moral code, and standards of behavior for citizens of the Kingdom, and where can they be found? In the constitution. God’s standards for life in His Kingdom are found throughout the Bible. Such standards as these:

You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God….Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy….Honor your father and your mother….You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet… (Exodus 20:3-17).

7. The constitution contains the statutes of the kingdom. Statutes are fixed, predictable standards. “Teach me Your statutes,” King David of Israel says. Normally, where the word “statutes” shows up, you will find “laws” in the same sentence. Statutes give the physical image of law. That’s why we call a carving in stone a statue. Or we call it an image. Image is the same as statue. A statue is permanent. A statue means simply a fixed, predictable image or standard.

“Heaven and earth will pass away before My statutes change. I will move the heavens and the earth before I move My statutes” (see Luke 16:17; 21:33).

Who are we to dare to think that we have the right or the authority to change or set aside the statutes that the King of Heaven has set in place? Religious people can do that any time they want, because they are not really in the Kingdom. Kingdom citizens, however, cannot. Our constitution says, “The word of the Lord stands forever” (1 Pet 1:25a).

PRINCIPLES

1. Every kingdom has a constitution.

2. The constitution of a kingdom is the documented will, purposes, and intent of the king.

3. In a kingdom, the constitution is a royal contract that the king has with his subjects—his citizens.

4. A kingdom constitution is the document that constitutes the king’s desire for his citizens.

5. The constitution in a kingdom constitutes the expressed will of the king.

6. The Bible is the expressed will of the King in written form. It is the constitution of His Kingdom.

7. The words of the king become the law of the land.

8. The constitution is the will and the testament of the king for his citizens.

9. The Bible comprises God’s documented thoughts concerning His citizens—His expressed will, desire, and intent for the human race He created in His own image.

Shema Selah we are now being reborn into the Kingdom of Heaven!!  Thank You the Most High!!