Genesis 13:14-18
14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

My main focus today will be verse 18. As I go through Genesis, there will be places I will skip because of lack of enlightenment sometimes perhaps and so we cover mainly verse 18 today.
And as last week we learned that these places have meaning. Names have meaning in the Bible. Here the word Mamre in the original language means: fatness. The word Hebron means: seat of association or fellowship.

1 Corinthians 1:9
9 God is faithful, by Whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our LORD.

The title of my message is "How can GOD dwell in the midst of sinful people."

1 John 1:3
3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

Basically, we see the same theme in 1 Corinthians 1:9 but 1 John 1:3 adds one thing.

Amos 3:3
3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

The word fellowship we just looked at in the original language means: benefaction or the act of benefiting or association. And this fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. But, how can two walk together except they be agreed? And for a time we were not agreed. As far as we were walking as wrathful children, children of disobedience.

Genesis 3:15
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his feet.

It is enmity between the elect and GOD. And we were instantly in another camp in Satan's kingdom and his camp. We were separated from the Father joined into Satan's kingdom. We were in his kingdom.

Ephesians 2:12
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without GOD in the world:

Strangers, aliens without GOD. In the Old Covenant system it is about Jews and Gentiles. But in the New Covenant system it is about believers and unbelievers. And unbelievers are strangers. They are without GOD in this world. That is where we were ever since the fall; that is the condition we were born in.

As last week we saw that we were in a heap of ruin. (Isaiah 25:2 For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of stangers to be no city; it shall never be built & Isaiah 3:8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of His glory.)

And so we are alienated. We are strangers to this promise of hope.

Colossians 1:21
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.

"That were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works" which we were performing in this world. That is the condition we are born in. We have been called into fellowship with the Father and with the Son. But we are called from a place where we have been, a place away from Him. A place where there was no fellowship. A place where we were wrathful children.

Genesis 3:24
24 So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

So after the fall there is wrath. And this wrath keeps us from fellowship, keeps us from association. We cannot see His kingdom. We are in the kingdom of Satan. We cannot see the kingdom of GOD. We are blinded; we are alienated. The wrath of GOD is upon us not to be able to see it.

Isaiah 54:7 & 8
7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8 In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness (lovingkindness) will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

There is one thing I have to bring to your attention about this wrath. It is not the wrath that we always learned in the reformed churches.
v:8 Notice very carefully, "In a little wrath." It is not a huge bundle, but it says "In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness." And "everlasting" means it goes through that little wrath. Even when He had that little wrath, that everlasting kindness was upon us. The everlasting love has been from eternity because we are in Christ. So He has forsaken us but just for a moment.

Ephesians 2:2& 3
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

This little wrath is just as a displeasure of a loving and tender father. It is different from the wrath we have learned. The reformed people today like to believe that we were children of wrath on the way to hell. That means we were never in Christ from eternity. Which means we had no surety.
v:2 Notice "in the children of disobedience:" And that will be the children of wrath in verse 3 as we continue. In the original language children of wrath is wrathful children. It means exactly the same as children of disobedience. We were walking according to the lusts of our flesh. It would be as a father and a child, and his child is doing things that are against him. He still loves him, but the child is alienated from him. They are separated, perhaps not talking to each other. Well, GOD still had His tender everlasting love for His people, but they are alienated in a different camp. Children of disobedience and wrathful children.
And in that word Hebron, we saw seat of association, fellowship. We have only one seat of association. There is only one fellowship we have with the Father and that is through our LORD Jesus Christ; through all the works what He has done. In His mercy seat, that is where we have fellowship; through His Mercy Seat.

As we continue on looking at this word wrath.

Revelation 19:15
15 And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty GOD.

Isaiah 13:9
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

There is a difference between the wrath of the world and the wrath of GOD's people. The little wrath and tender mercies He had toward His people. But here we see in Isaiah the difference.
We saw in Revelation 19:15 "and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty GOD.

Isaiah 63:3
3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment.

We will see why it is different. We have seen this scripture before.

The difference is that the world has to trod the winepress alone. But the LORD's people have someone Who has done it for them. Who has taken the fierceness and the wrath of the Almighty GOD upon Himself. As I mentioned before, a winepress is a place where they stepped on the grapes in a large vat with a hole in the bottom. The grapes were crushed, the juice coming through the bottom. Well, it is the same as the fierceness, trodden.
He has taken upon Himself the fierceness of the Father's wrath that would have been upon us. But instead it was upon the body. So it is not the same as the fierceness of the world or the wrath against the world. They take the full wrath upon themselves. We have a Surety. We have one Who has done it for us.

Zechariah 13:7
7 Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man that is My Fellow (companion), saith the LORD of hosts: smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn Mine hand upon the little ones.

We saw in Revelation 19:15 "And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword," The sword of the wrath of the Father. "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man that is My fellow," What a precious gospel, that the full wrath went against His Shepherd, Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Zechariah 13:6
6 And one shall say unto Him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then He shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends.

"The house of My friends." And so the wrath is separate. It is different from what the world receives. Our wrath is just "a little wrath." He hid Himself from us for just a little while.

Habakkuk 3:2
2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.

And the Father always has remembered His Covenant. He has always remembered His mercy. Even in wrath against the world, He remembered mercy. Because the Shepherd was the Winepress for His people. The sword went against Jesus Christ for His people.
The word mercy means: compassion that forbears punishing even when justice demands it. And He forbears punishing His people because Jesus Christ took the punishment upon Himself.

Exodus 25:22
22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune (speak) with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

There is only one way He can meet with us. There is only one way He can commune with us. There is only one way He can dwell in the midst of His people. From where? "above the mercy seat." Not unto the world but "unto the children of Israel." Or in other words, to the elect in the New Covenant system. "And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat,"

2 Samuel 6:2
2 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of GOD, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

First of all, I want to show you what dwells between the cherubims.

1 Samuel 4:4
4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of GOD.

Psalm 80:1
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

Psalm 99:1
1 The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: He sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved. (be shaken)

Here in all these scriptures, the one essential thought is and as a picture: the ark and the mercy seat. The ark is a picture of a throne and the mercy seat is upon it. It is the throne of GOD.

Leviticus 16:14
14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times."And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat," from above it.
And the mercy seat is the picture of propitiation of appeasing the wrath of GOD and it can only be done by taking of a sacrifice and sprinkling the blood upon it. Here it says "seven times" a picture of perfection. His blood is perfect. The blood of Jesus Christ is absolutely perfect because He did not sin one time. So there was a full appeasing, a full satisfaction to the Father Who dwells above the mercy seat. It was perfect. It needed to be perfect.
The blood is life and the life is in the Son Jesus Christ because He is perfect.

Leviticus l6:30
30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement (a propitiation) for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

That is how we can have fellowship. That is how the Father dwells with His people. It is through the blood, the perfection, the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is not from any works that we have done. He communes with us, He meets with us above the mercy seat. Above the finished work (John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.) of Jesus Christ.
The perfection of Him.

Romans 3:25
25 Whom GOD hath set forth to be a propitiation (a mercy seat) through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of GOD;

Propitiation or mercy seat "through faith in His blood," "Whom GOD hath set forth." Whom GOD hath set forth to be a man in this world, born of a woman to do a work, to be a propitiation, to appease His wrath. It was upon the world, but we the people of GOD, Israel, the True Israel of GOD have a propitiation for us. We have a mercy seat and it is in His blood.

Acts 20:28
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed (shepherd) the church of GOD, which He hath purchased with His own blood.

It is by His blood. We have propitiation by His blood. The wrath of God has been appeased. This little wrath has been appeased because we have One Who was sacrificed for us, Jesus Christ. That is what it is a picture of in Leviticus 16 - full appeasement.
As we saw in Leviticus 16:30 "to cleanse you," by this perfect blood "that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD."
Perfect satisfaction. It was a perfect sacrifice.

Leviticus 3:1-3
1 And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish (defect or imperfection) before the LORD.
2 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
3 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards.

The word Mamre we saw, which is in Hebron, in Genesis 13:18 means fatness.
v:1 It had to be perfect and without blemish. The fat being the best part of the sacrifice. It is a peace offering to bring peace because there was enmity. It has brought peace that we may have peace with GOD.
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was a picture of Christ being the fatted calf. And sacrificed His best, the most excellent because of this fat. It is the best part of it. A picture of the fattness, the best part of the offering. The best part of the sacrifice.

In Genesis 13:18 we saw once again, "and built there an altar unto the LORD." The best part of the sacrifice, the fat. We had a perfect sacrifice and we had the best part of it. It is all in Jesus Christ. The propitiation of wrath has been taken away because it was perfect and the best part. Because of the works, there was no error in His ways at all. It was without blemish.

Genesis 4:4
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

Abel brought the firstlings, the best and he brought the best because it had the fat thereof. He brought the best sacrifice.

Psalm 36:8, 9 & 10
8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness (fulness) of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
10 O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.

Fatness can mean abundance or fullness.
v:8 "of thy house" or the church. Of all the perfect works of Christ, the fatness. The best part of what we learn.
v:10 The pleasures that will "continue thy lovingkindness."
v:9 "the fountain of life:"

All the finished works, the fatness, we are satisfied with it. We are satisfied with His perfect substitutionary sacrifice for us.

Psalm 63:5
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow (the best, fat) and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

We are satisfied with this abundance. We are satisfied with this fullness, this fatness of this perfection. We are satisfied that our substitutionary sacrifice was perfect. And we shall praise thee with joyful lips.

Psalm 65:11 11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness (abundance).

Why? The paths of Christ are righteousness. As we follow as the body, because naturally that is what we are, the body. And so naturally the body follows in the path of the fatness, the path of Jesus Christ. The fatness of His work because it was the best.

Isaiah 25:6
6 And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat (choice pieces) things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.

A feast of "fat things:" The choice pieces, the fat things. It is a feast. So that is what it is a picture of when we have Communion. We are feasting on the works of Christ. We are feasting on the body and the blood, the perfection. There is no spot in it and that all of our sins are forgiven in His blood and in His righteousness.

Isaiah 55: 1 & 2
1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness (abundance).

v:1 Those who have the Holy Spirit come upon their hearts. They are thirsting, but there is nothing to offer.
v:2 "spend money for that which is not bread?" Spend money on false gospels and the false works.

The fatness of the sacrifice. In the fatness of this perfection we have fellowship with the Father. We have communion because He dwells in the midst of His people by this blood, this perfection.

It has brought peace, this perfection.

Romans 5: 1 & 2
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with GOD through our LORD Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of GOD.

We had a little wrath against us. And now through this blood, through our LORD Jesus Christ we have peace with GOD. There is no more enmity. There is peace by the mercy seat, by the blood, this perfection sprinkled on seven times. It brings peace with Him.

Psalm 55:18
18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.

"He hath delivered by soul in peace" because our Savior went into the enemy camp and defeated Satan and delivered our soul in peace. No more wrath, but peace. We were in the enemy's camp. But now we have peace by this perfection.

Isaiah 32:17
17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

What if the sacrifice had not been perfect? Would it have brought peace to our souls? If it would not have been without blemish, would it have been peace to our souls? Would it have brought quietness and assurance forever? No! But the work of Jesus Christ, the blood of Jesus Christ, the works of His righteousness shall be peace. And the effect, what happens from this righteousness, the effect of it? Quietness and assurance forever.

We had a little wrath against us. But because of our blessed mercy seat, the place, the seat of association back with the Father, Jesus Christ has come and did the work for us. The effect is quietness and assurance forever, and ever and ever and ever. It is peace and quietness.

Psalm 125:5
5 As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.

This peace is not for the whole world. It is not like crying peace, peace to everyone in the whole world, or the peace movement. The whole world is never going to be in peace. "Israel" the church, the elect.

Psalm 128:5 & 6
5 The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.
6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.

2 Chronicles 29:24
24 And the priests killed them, and they made (presented their blood on the altar as a sin offering, to make) reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.

"Killed them" - the bullocks. All who? "For all Israel", the True Israel of GOD, the elect, the highly-favored ones. "To make an atonement for all Israel" for the church. We saw that in Acts 20:28, the blood purchased the church of GOD. Purchased all of Israel, all of the elect and made peace for them. It took away the wrath.

Psalm 85:2 & 3
2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people; thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

Why? Thy people "thou has covered all their sin" by His perfection sprinkled on. It was perfect. It has covered every single sin that they have ever done. Because GOD cannot see any sin in His people. If He sees one, they would eternity rot in hell.
v:3 Turned away against Israel, turned away against the church, turned awayagainst thy people by the blood of Jesus Christ it has brought peace.

Colossians 1:20 & 21
20 And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled.

Malachi 2: 5 & 6
5 My covenant was with Him of life and peace; and I gave them to Him for the fear wherewith He feared Me, and was afraid before My name.
6 The law of truth was in His mouth, and iniquity was not found in His lips: He walked with Me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

This brings it all together, "My covenant was with Him," Jesus Christ. My covenant was with Him. It had to be with the Surety of life and peace. "And I gave them to Him." I gave the elect, every single one of the elect to Him. "For all Israel" to Him.
v:6 "And did turn many" the elect, the True Israel of GOD "away from iniquity" by the perfection of His blood. The covenant was set with Him to walk in righteousness, to fulfill all righteousness. That brings peace. It was a perfect sacrifice, that brings peace. It turned away all Israel from their iniquity that GOD does not see any iniquity in them.

So He dwells in the midst of sinful people because He does not see or behold iniquity in them. Because He sees the Head to Jesus Christ. He sees the One He set a covenant with. A covenant of life and peace for His people. The blood is life and it has brought peace. And it is perfection.

Genesis 13:3
3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;

The altar is a place of sacrifice and the sacrifice was Jesus Christ. And it was a perfect sacrifice, no blemish in Him. He worked all the works of righteousness on behalf of all of Israel, of all the people.
And so we had a Head that went to the altar for His people on their behalf, and they were with Him.

Isaiah 53:10
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

He saw His seed. At that time, they were with Him. And it was a perfect sacrifice with fatness, the best. Because Christ is the best. It is the most excellent sacrifice, not one of goats or cattle. It is one of our Savior Jesus Christ, the One that has brought peace back to us.

Mamre, fatness. Hebron, seat of association, fellowship. What a glorious gospel!

Do you know anything of this peace? Have you seen the blood of Jesus Christ? Do you see a perfect blood? Do you see a perfect sacrifice? Or do you see one that has a little mixture in it? A little mixture of righteousness.

Only a perfect sacrifice with the fatness thereof will bring peace and assurance forever.