If You are Christ’s
God’s Heart
Opening your heart to God’s Word is a beautiful, life-altering experience. God’s Word is His heart. As we read it and reflect upon it, the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts and guides us according to His perfect will for our lives.
The human heart longs for a sense of belonging - for kinship - a feeling of being close or similar to other people. We are created to live in family and in community. Although our needs for belonging may not always be met in the confines of our biological families, in our relationship with Christ, all believers are able to find true kinship.
In the story of Abraham, we see how remarkably our closeness and even likeness to Christ is portrayed in the concept of offspring. We learn through Abraham’s story that the story of every believer is part of the overarching story of God’s people, connecting generations of Christians to one another. As believers, we are all offspring along with Christ. In Christ, we are part of a family that extends across time, across the globe and into eternity.
We know that the three-fold promise God made to Abraham - for offspring, land and blessings to the nations - is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. In fact, God uses Abraham and his family as the channel by which blessing comes to the entire world in the person of Jesus Christ.
It all begins with the birth of Isaac when Abraham is 100 years old and Sarah is 99.
Romans 4:19:
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.
Genesis 21:2-3:
And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.
With all the miraculous details of Isaac’s birth, the most significant is that from this man, Isaac (often called the man of promise), Abraham’s seed would go on to bear forth the Messiah, and in Him - in Jesus - all three components of the promise God made to Abraham would come to fruition. Let’s look more closely at the promise of offspring.
The promise made regarding Abraham’s offspring is remarkable for two reasons:
1) Abraham’s offspring is Jesus, and
2) Abraham’s offspring includes each one of us, in Christ.
Galatians 3:7-9:
Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
In Genesis 22:16-18, we see God swears an oath to Abraham and He swears it by Himself, which gives the oath the utmost authority.
Genesis 22:16-18:
16 “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
The oath consists of two parts. The first half focuses on Abraham’s many descendants, and the second part concentrates on a single descendant who will overcome “his enemies” and through whom all the nations of the earth will be blessed. We see that Abraham will have many descendants, but a single offspring will eventually come forth as a special King who will rule over the Gentiles. Scripture as a whole clearly points to this oath being fulfilled in the person of Christ.
In Galatians 3, the apostle Paul goes on to highlight the two-fold significance of the word offspring regarding the promises God spoke to Abraham (Genesis 17:8). Paul asserts in v 16 that offspring is singular to prove that it points to Christ - that the promises are fulfilled in Christ.
Galatians 3:16:
16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
In order to fully understand Galatians 3:16, we need to understand the grammar regarding the term offspring:
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The Greek word for offspring is more closely translated as seed. The singular use of seed can be used as a collective singular that has a plural sense.
In simplest terms, like in English, the word seed can be used to represent one seed or a number of seeds.
For example: The farmer sowed his seed.
This means that the farmer sowed many seeds. Even though the word seed is singular, it is used in the sentence as a collective singular with a plural sense - a singular noun that represents multiples.
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In Galatians 3:29, Paul brings the complete picture of Abraham’s offspring together.
Galatians 3:29
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring [seed], heirs according to promise.
Paul demonstrates that because Christians are united to Christ in faith, the single person of Christ is more than one person. Rather, He represents all God’s people - the many persons in that whole line of natural and/or spiritual descendants. So the singular as well as the collective uses of seed (in the sense of offspring) seem to both accurately represent Christ. The word designates the whole line of descendants as a unit but is deliberately flexible, so to also denote the one person who epitomizes the whole group - Jesus Christ.
What does this mean for us? Ultimately, Abraham’s offspring is Christ and Abraham’s offspring are all of Christ’s followers (the whole line of his descendants as a unit); that includes each one of us. This is one of the most effective pictures of how our stories are intricately woven into God’s own story. Abraham’s destination is Jesus and so is ours. It’s truly remarkable!
Share Your Heart
Consider the following discussion starters as you share your hearts with one another:
In Genesis 21:6-7. we see Sarah’s reaction when Isaac is born to her at 99 after an entire lifetime of barrenness.
And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
Talk about how Sarah must have felt. Have any of you had a surprise from God that brought laughter or unspeakable joy?
We said that offspring is more accurately translated as seed. God promised Abraham that he would father a multitude of nations and be exceedingly fruitful.
When we plant seeds, they bear fruit, which contain seeds. They multiply. You are His seed. He desires to multiply His Kingdom through you, in a spiritual sense. Do you see Him doing that? How can you pray into spreading His Word and multiplying His offspring - furthering His Kingdom? Encourage one another in the Lord.
We learned today that Abraham’s offspring is Christ, but that as part of the line of his descendants in Christ, so are we. We are Abraham’s offspring in Christ and with Christ. That is why we are coheirs of the inheritance of His Kingdom - heirs according to promise. Everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to us, which will be fulfilled completely upon His return. The entire promise God made to Abraham, He makes to us as well.
Discuss with each other what this means to you. Do you fully grasp this concept of being Abraham’s offspring in Christ? How does or should such knowledge affect the way you look at life and/or live life?
The Cries of Your Heart
At Hearts Together Women, we believe that the Lord hears the cries of our hearts.
We also believe in prayer partnership because God’s Word teaches us that partnering with one another in prayer is powerful.
James 5:16 says, “Therefore…pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
And Jesus encourages us, “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there” (Matthew 18:19-20, The Message).
What amazing promises!
Here is how prayer partnership works at a Hearts Together Gathering:
After we share in the Word and discussion, your facilitator will ask each woman for her prayer requests. All you need to do is share your requests - the cries of your heart - because we all have them.
We encourage you to request prayer for 1) your own needs; 2) the needs of your family and loved ones; and 3) the needs you see around you - in the workplace, the school, the neighborhood or even the nation.
After the requests are shared, your gathering facilitator will lead in a prayer for the needs that were put forth.
In the following days, we encourage you to pray for the requests of the other women in your gathering. They will do the same for you. That’s what prayer partnership is all about!
As we partner with one another in prayer, we trust the Lord will meet with us and answer us in accordance with His perfect will.
Your Heart to His
Maybe you felt the Holy Spirit stirring something in your heart during this gathering. It doesn’t have to end here. Take it home. In the followings days, continue to pursue Him. Spend some time alone and quiet, away from the noise of life - just you and Jesus.
Tell Him the cries of your heart. He is listening; He cares, and He does answer. Praying is kind of like having a conversation with your best friend. He created you, so He already knows everything about you. He just wants to be with you.
After you pray, reread the Scriptures and thoughts under God’s Heart. Reflect upon the verses and how they speak to you and your life.
Here are some things you might contemplate and pray about:
Galatians 3:29 says, “ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” Reflect upon what being an heir according to promise means for your life. Remember everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to you, which will be fulfilled completely upon His return. The entire promise God made to Abraham, he makes to you as well. It is an immeasurable promise. Receive that blessing today. Talk to the Lord about it. Rejoice in Him for it. (If you want to learn more about the promise, read Revelation 21 and 22. It will bring you joy and hope.)
This is just between you and Jesus - your heart to His. Make space in your busy days to spend some time with Him.
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Do you have a Bible? If not, there are many digital options - Bible apps, etc. We suggest starting with John’s Gospel.
