God’s Promise to Abraham – And Us
Galatians 3:15-20
The Changeless Promise
15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God [a]in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Purpose of the Law
19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
Sermon Notes
Someone once commented, “The only thing around here that is constant is change!” Of course, we tend to smile at such a comment, but there is a bit of truth in such a statement.
Life is always changing and evolving. This includes everything from the things in our daily lives to our emotions. All of these things make some commitments hard to keep. We want to keep our promises and we want others in our lives to keep theirs.
Charles Spurgeon, in Encouraged to Pray: Classic Sermons on Prayer wrote:
“The best praying man is the man who is most believingly familiar with the promises of God. After all, prayer is nothing but taking God’s promises to him, and saying to him, “Do as thou hast said.” Prayer is the promise utilized. A prayer which is not based on a promise has no true foundation.”
Even in the midst of challenging times, the human spirit continues to believe in promises.
God has made promises to people since the beginning of His creation.
Promises being hard to keep doesn’t mean we should stop making them altogether. It just means we should be a little more careful about the promises we make.
The writer of Hebrews put it this way: (13:20-21) “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete (perfect) in every good work to do His will, working in you (us) what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Scriptures to Consider
- Numbers 23:19 -
- John 14:2 -
- John 1:14 -
Other Resources in RightNow Media
- "THE BOOK OF GALATIANS" BIBLE STUDY FEATURING KYLE IDLEMAN
- Galatians by Ray Pritchard
This Week
Monday, July 6
8:00 am Pastoral Devotions (online)
9:30 am Men's Prayer
Tuesday, July 7
Wednesday, July 8
8:00 am Pastoral Devotions (online)
10:00 am Keenagers (55+) Bible Study (on Pastor Art’s personal Facebook Page…will be posted to SGAC)
10:00 am Kids Summer Check In
Thursday, July 9
Friday, July 10
8:00 am Pastoral Devotions (online)
Saturday, July 11
Sunday, July 12
10:00 am Online Worship Service w/ Communion
8:30 pm Filipino Catch up (online)
JOURNEY UPDATES
PASTORAL DEVOTIONS TO THE CONGREGATION: Join us online Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings for a devotional message from one of our Pastors. We will air these messages on our YouTube Channel at 8:00 am. (Don’t worry, if you miss it, you can watch it later.)
VBS: SGAC’s first ever Live Stream VBS is coming Aug 10 to 13 for children age 4 to 12. Early bird rate is $15 for the first child and $10 for each individual child after until July 15. Cost from July 16 to Aug. 6 (or while supplies last) is $30 for the first child and $10 for each individual child. Online registration is open now and includes your VBS in a bag package. Register now! For more information and updates visit Spruce Grove Alliance Church Children’s Ministry Facebook page or call the office.
We are excited to be preparing to REALUNCH our in-person worship services August 2. Please pray for this team and process and keep your eye out for weekly updates. Sign up for the newsletter if you haven’t already at https://www.sgac.net/newsletter
KIDS SUMMER CHECK IN: Join us Wednesday mornings in July at 10:00 am for fun interactive games and story time. We will stream live on the SGAC Kids Facebook page.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT UPDATE: Construction continues to prepare SGAC for our future build, using the budget that was approved by the Board early in the New Year. For the most part the construction activity is not visible to the congregation, both because the work is behind the scenes, and because traffic to the church remains limited. All of the work done to date has been completed well under the $750,000 budget approved by the Board in Feb 2019. This is in large part due to the work of our volunteer construction team: thanks to their dedication, some of this work is being done with only the costs of supplies. As a result, at their June meeting the Elder’s Board approved the construction team’s continued work to prepare for the future build, within the $750,000 preliminary project budget. Read this week’s email and visit the church website as it is updated in the coming weeks to learn more. You can also email the Future Development Team to ask questions or to discuss the ongoing work at: phase1@sgac.net.
The CHURCH OFFICE hours are Mon – Fri from 9 am -4 pm. We are closed for lunch daily from noon- 1pm.
Please note the Following Options for Giving
ONLINE GIVING
Whether it is a one-time gift or you would like to schedule a recurring donation, you can give online to Spruce Grove Alliance Church. This option allows you to give using a Visa debit card or the traditional Visa or MasterCard credit cards.
PRE-AUTHORIZED GIVING
Pick up a pre-authorized debit agreement form from our church office or download one here. You can fill it out and then with a voided cheque - you can either scan it and email it to the office, or drop it off during regular office hours.
INTERAC/DEBIT
During office hours, you can drop by and use the INTERAC/DEBIT machine at the Welcome Centre, then fill out your donation envelope as normal including your name, address, giving number and insert your debit receipt so we can disburse funds as directed in the Box on the counter.
E-TRANSFER
Use E-Transfer to give at SGAC, using giving@sgac.net Please include your offering envelope number and contact information. The money is deposited directly into the church account and does not require a security question. Please also include your envelope # if you have one and your phone number in the note section.
IN PERSON
You can stop by the church office and drop off your donation in a sealed envelope. Mark it Finance / Confidential. Please call ahead as Office Hours are by appointment only.
By MAIL / CHEQUE
Mail your donation to:
Spruce Grove Alliance Church
Attn: Finance
250 Century Road
Spruce Grove, AB T7X 1W6
Thank you for your generosity in giving to SGAC.
Questions: Please contact the church office at 780 962 4700 or by email . You may also visit our website at www.sgac/Give
PRAYER
Please pray for:
- Our Christian Worker: K.I. works for an American School in Niger. Her parents attend SGAC.
- Our Pastoral Team Staff Member: Pastor Joel Marquez – Pastor of Outreach, Missions & Men. Joel is married to Lolet.
- Our Support Staff Team Member: Corina Langdon. Corina is married to Boyd and they have 3 children.
- Our Elders Team Member: Orv Perry. Orv is married to Peggi and they have 3 married children.
Family Matters
- Print out a Bingo card and play along during today’s message. Kids, take a picture and email your Bingo card to Pastor Coreen for a chance to win an NIV Action Study Bible. Bingo Cards are available to download from SGAC Children’s Ministry Facebook Page.
- We want to pray for you. Please send your requests to prayer@sgac.net