THE OVERCOMER

 

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

 

1.       I am today going to give you a practical message on being an overcomer.  John starts in this scripture to teach you.  Five things.  

 

a.      First, you are God’s child.  He loves, cares, protects, helps and guides you.  You are His because of Jesus Christ and your acceptance of Him. 

b.      You are from God.  When you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior you joined His family.  You have all the rights and privilege of being His Son.  All of heaven is at your disposal and every benefit of being a joint heir with Jesus Christ is yours.  You are a child of God.   

c.      You have overcome them.  Who are them?  The World with its passion, pride and possessions no longer have value, power and desire for you.  You know all you have to do is seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all things will be added to you.  You know that prosperity and health come from God and begin from the inside out.  You know your flesh and sinful nature will destroy you if you do not master it through Christ.  You know that saying no to yourself and your selfish ways is your way to victory.  I will in a minute become more practical in this area.  Lastly, the devil.  Jesus destroyed his works on the cross.  No demon of hell is greater than Jesus who lives in you.

d.      The one who is in you is greater.  Let’s say it together.  He who is in me is greater.  You are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  You are the dwelling place of God.  You have resurrection power.  You have anointing, enablement, authority, power, dominion, victory and freedom in Christ.  You have the armor, weapons and protection to beat the enemy every time.  When you submit to God and you resist the devil he has to flee. 

e.      Than He who is in the world.  The devil may own this world and people in it but He does not own you.  You are not of this world.  Heaven is your home and destination.  You are no longer subject to the power and authority of this world.  You are looking for a city whose maker and builder is God.  You are a pilgrim passing through not a settler.  The devil has no right, authority or power over you.  Remember that. 

 

2.      Now I want you to remember five things.  You are not a victim, you are a victor.  You are not going to be conquered.  You are more than a conqueror.  You are not going to be dominated. You are a dominator.  You are not going to be a slave.  You are free.  Say it loud and say it proud.  I am free.  You are not going to be overcome.  You are an overcomer. 

 

George Frederick Handel was dogged with misfortune. He had debt upon debt, despair upon despair. He had a cerebral hemorrhage and was paralyzed on his right side. For four years he could neither walk nor write. The doctors gave up on him. He wrote several operas, but again he fell in debt. At age 60 he thought his life was finished. Then he was challenged by a friend to write a sacred oratorio. He read the Scriptures and decided to work on the Messiah. For 24 days, without eating a crumb, he worked fanatically to produce the Messiah, which many today consider the greatest oratorio ever written.

 

3.      Now I am going to get real practical.  There are five things we need to overcome every day.

 

a.      Time. If you don't use it wisely, it will become your enemy.  How can you redeem the time as Paul says?  Here are some practical things.  Set goals. Ask yourself which goals are important to you right now and what needs to be done to achieve them.  Make a to-do list. Calculate the time spent on each of your tasks.  Avoid distractions.  Avoid procrastinating.  Don't give up and stay motivated.  Remember all you do must be for the Lord and others. 

b.      Lack of focus. Keep your eyes on the prize.   You are running a race to win.  Remember you are doing this for the Lord, yourself and others.  Here are some more practical thoughts.  Get rid of distractions.  Shut of your phone and devices.  Keep down the stimulants.  Put a lock on social media.  Fuel your body and eat right.  Exercise.  Get enough sleep.   Pray, read the Bible, go to church and worship.

c.      Holding back.  You have to believe in yourself and who God made you.  There is something only you can do.  You have gifts, talents, skills and abilities that are your own.  God gave them to you.  I am not motivational speaking.  I am speaking to your core.  So many people miss it because they don’t think they can make a difference.  You can.  If you can breathe you can get a life.  Pray about what you can do and get busy.  Don’t hold back.  You can be an encourager.  You can love.  You can speak nice things to people.  You can be a friend.  Get out of your comfort zone.

d.      I love this next one.  Attitude.  I use to have written in our church in Trail.  Attitude is everything in the things of God.  Tyson told me that attitude is the only thing.  The importance of attitude is that it is the basis for everything in our lives. Our attitude determines how we react to adversity, our ability to grow and to learn, our ability to overcome challenges, and create bonds with others.  God put it in us.  Philippians 2:5, NLT: "You must have the same attitude that Christ. Jesus had."  Philippians 4:8 ESV.  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  This is Godly attitude.

e.      Fear is the word we use to describe our emotional reaction to something that seems dangerous.  We know that fear is a spirit.  It enters us when we are small.  Something happens and it grows.  It needs to be faced and cast out.  As a child of God you are not given to a spirit of fear but of love power and sound mind.  John says perfect love casts out fear.  When you are truly loved you have nothing to fear.  Here are some practical things to do when a fear comes.  Pray and read your Bible.  Talk to a trusted person about your fear.  Write down what you are grateful and count your blessings.  Cast your anxiety, fear, stress and cares on the Lord and remember He cares for you.  Exercise and get the tension, stress and fear out.  Focus on God.  Laugh and watch good clean comedy.  Do a mental inventory of the things you have already conquered.  Lastly remind yourself you are a warrior not a worrier. 

f.       I close with this wonderful scripture.  1 John 5:5, “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

QUOTES FOR APRIL 23, 2026

 

THE PLOT THICKENS

 

said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”  10 “No, my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”  12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”  13 But they replied, “Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”  14 Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies! 15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 17 And he put them all in custody for three days.

 

Lesson one:  Joseph played a role to find out what had happened to his family.  The brothers then revealed who they were, why they had come and what had happened to Joseph’s younger brother.  When he  accused them of being spies.  They were then put into prison for three days.  He gave them a little dose of what he went through.  Truth is that we will always reap what we sow, that there are always consequences to what we do.  Notice he said as surely as the king lives.  No name was greater in Egypt.  Next, Joseph knew that his brothers were liars so he was testing their honesty.  When you lie everything you say even when you are telling the truth will be tested.  The plan was to send one and the rest be kept in prison until Benjamin returns.   I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall listening to their conversation during those three days.  Each one blaming each other, feeling the guilt, remorse, anger, blame, stress, uncertainty and anxiety.  It must have been three days of internal torture.  Then the question which one would have to tell dad about what had happen.  How long where they to stay in this condition?  Why was this man doing this?  Here they had come to buy food and now they were facing this?  Question after question and no explanation.  This is a life and death situation as far as they know.

 

On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.  21 They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.”  22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” 23 They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.  24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.

 

Lesson two;  Joseph then has them brought before Him.  Now we do not know if this was originally part of Joseph’s plan or as they sat in prison he change his mind.  He then gives them a hint of who he was.  He said, I fear God.  Interesting that in a polytheistic society he said I fear God.  Egypt had 40 some main gods or demon deities.  Yet Joseph mentioned he fear God.  The brothers were monotheistic but they missed this hint because they were so wrapped up in their fear, pain, own little story.  Listen when you are in a crisis or urgent  situation.  Don’t miss that God is still there.  Remember he never leaves or forsake you.  You have all of heaven standing by working on your behalf.  Remember to pray, read the word, claims his promises and help.  Trust Him, walk by faith and remember God is always working and will always fulfill His promises.  He loves you.  Talk about man on roof during flood.  Joseph also said this is gain his brothers trust.  Remember this was a society of many god’s so to here this man fear the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob gained their trust. 

     Now Joseph , says if you are honest men, he tells them that one of them will be kept in prison and the others will go back to Canaan bring the other brother back to verify what they were saying.  He also said they could take the grain back to their starving families.  Joseph knew the severity of the situation and I believe His concern for his family over rule any anger, revenge or thoughts of consequences.  The three days was a cool down time.  Just a quick thought.  This is a prophetic point.  Three days is the length of time Jesus was in the prison of death, hell and the grave.  Joseph is a type of Christ so after three days like Jesus Joseph freed his prisoners.  Jesus rose from the dead and we who were prisoners, to sin, death, hell and the grave have eternal and abundant life.  The world, the flesh and the devil have been defeated.  That is a great shouting point right here.

     Now the boys then talk about among themselves about why there were there.  They figured it out and this was all happening because of what they had done to Joseph.  In the ancient world they believed that what you did eventually came back to haunt you.  They played the blame game.  They spoke to each other in Hebrew not knowing that Joseph understood them because he had spoken to them through an interpreter.  Remember what you sow you reap.  Only the mercy, love, grace and

forgiveness of God can break the cycle of consequences of sin. 

     Joseph understood them and had to turn away, weep then compose Himself.  He then returned and took Simeon from them and bound before their eyes.  Why Simeon, According to classical rabbinical sources, Joseph chose Simeon to be the hostage because he was concerned that if Simeon wasn't separated from Levi, then Levi and Simeon might destroy Egypt together, since they had already destroyed Shechem.    

 

25 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.  27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. 28 “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”  Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

 

Lesson Three;  So Joseph does three things for them.  He filled their bags with grain, return their money and gave them provisions for the journey home.  Joseph wasa type of Christ.  Jesus Christ will meet our needs, give us what we need for each day and give us what we need for our journey in life.  God is Jehovah Jireh.  He will supply our every need according to his riches in glory.  Now each man loaded their sack on their donkeys but do not know what was in the sack.  In this part of the passage we get a picture of ancient life.  First, the brothers travelled by donkey.  A donkey can carry up to a hundred pounds.  Talk about how I say a donkey in Nazareth carrying a man. normally they are pack creatures.  Next, we see that they stayed in a place.  We do not know if it was an inn, oasis or canyon for protection.  Remember it could be as long as a week to get home.  It was then one of them found when opening his pack to feed his donkey that their silver had been returned.  He tells his brothers and right then their heart sink and then fear grips them.  They now recognized a divine plot.  We should be like these men.  Fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  Fear is a great motivator for change.  Fear of God refers to fear or a specific sense of respect, awe, and submission to a deity.  As a Christian fear means to have respect and awe for divine judgment, hell or God's omnipotence.  The word Fear is mentioned 300 times.  In respect to the Lord it means fearing God is good because it saves us from caving into our own sinful nature. That's why hearing someone is God-fearing actually makes us trust that person more. If they fear God, they are more likely to keep their word and treat others with kindness.  

 

 

 

THE POWER OF GRATITUDE

 

 

The Power of gratitude: 7 benefits of giving God thanks

 

Most of us know thanksgiving is a good practice. But do we know just how good? The Bible shows the great power of gratitude. Practicing daily thankfulness may seem like another chore, I hope to convince you the power of gratitude far outweighs the few minutes it takes to practice it. There are so many reasons to intentionally cultivate gratitude!

 

1.Gratitude glorifies God.

This alone would be reason to give thanks to God. Our gratitude glorifies God as we exalt not the gifts, but the Giver. Gratitude helps us realize all we have comes not because of us, but from God.

And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. 2 Corinthians 4:15

 

2. Gratitude helps us see God.

Gratitude opens our spiritual eyes. There’s a beautiful cycle in giving God thanks: the more we thank Him, the more we see Him working in us and around us. Gratitude helps us sense God’s presence, His personal care and His perfect timing.  Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. James 1:16-17

 

3. Gratitude puts us squarely in God’s will.

We often make God’s will out to be some big, mystical plan when sometimes, it’s simply obedience. And part of His will for us is to be thankful, not just on the sunny days but on the hard ones as well.  Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

4. Gratitude brings peace.

Count your blessings, not sheep we’re told to get rid of the worry keeping us up at night. Gratitude helps us see that God’s hand is all over our circumstances. And God tells us when we give him our thanks, He gives us supernatural peace.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

 

5. Gratitude draws us to God.

Gratitude for the magnitude of God’s undeserved kindness draws us to Him. We see that when Jesus healed 10 lepers. As Jesus walked by, all 10 cried out for healing. “Go, show yourselves to the priests,” Jesus commanded and as they went, they were healed! Fingers were restored and ulcers disappeared as full sensation returned to their faces and limbs. Certainly they were all happy, but only one was thankful. Only one came back to Jesus, fell as his feet and thanked him.  Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:17-19

 

6. Gratitude brings contentment.  It’s said that gratitude makes what we have enough. If we aren’t grateful for what God has given us, getting more won’t satisfy us either. Being thankful is the key to contentment.  Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and neither can we carry anything out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 1 Timothy 6:6-8

 

7. Gratitude deepens faith.

Keeping a record of God’s past faithfulness is a faith boost when we face new difficulty. My gratitude journals are testimonies that on my hardest days and in the worst circumstances, God’s record of faithfulness is 100%. That’s why God commanded Israel to remember His great deeds.  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

THE POWR OF INFLUENCE

 

                Today I am going to spend a little time talking about the power of influence

and to illustrate my point I am going to bring the family history of two families.  There has been a careful search into the history of one criminal family known as the Jukes.  It is a record of pauperism, insanity, violence, prostitution, substance abuse, and drunkenness. 

                A total of 1200 descendants have been traced of this prolific family tree.  Some

400 of these physically self wrecked, 310 were professional beggars and con men,

130 were convicted criminals, 60 habitual thieves and pick pockets, 7 were convicted

of murder.  Out of the 1200 only 20 were ever able to learn a trade and of these half

owed it to prison discipline.

               The other is about a man named Jonathan Edwards.  He was the son of a godly

home.  His father was a preacher and before him his mother's father.  The history of this

man is as follows. 

               More than 400 of them have been traced and they include 14 college presidents,

and 100 professors, 100 of them have been ministers of the gospel, missionaries and

theological teachers.  More than 100 of them have been lawyers and judges.  Out of the

whole number 60 have been doctors.  Others have been numbered in the ranks of

authors, politicians, editors and captains of industry.

               In fact almost every major American industry has had as its promoters one or

more of the offspring of the Edward's stock since this man was married in the closing

half of the seventeenth century.

               Now my question is what kind of legacy do you want to leave.  The choice is

yours.  Joshua stated in Joshua 24:15, "As for me and my house we will serve the

Lord."  I think the choice is clear.  I recently had a conversation with a man who was faced with a life threatening illness.  After years of focusing on himself and his world His life has changed.  He has realized that life is about touching others.  When I left his home I was encouraged even though my aim when visiting him was to encourage him. 

Legacy and influence is not just about just touching our current generation but those who will follow.  The best remedy for an ungodly society is to raise godly children.  Parents today have greater challenges than ever before.  The invention of the internet has made the world very small, and our children have access to more harmful and damaging material than ever before.  To combat this, parents need to include the Lord in their family.  He is the glue that holds a family together, His guidance will keep a family from being shipwrecked on the rocks when the storms of life come.  I have shown you what happens between a godly home and an ungodly home my question is which do you want?  I want a godly home.  How about you?

              

QUOTES FOR APRIL 22, 2026

 

THE PROMISE

 

Today we are looking at the promises given in Galatians 3.  Paul explains the reason for the law and the promise given to current believers in Christ.

 

15 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

 

1.      In Vs 15, Paul calls them brothers and sisters because they are of the same family, and this was a familiar thought in their day as it is ours.  We are in the family of God because of our association and acceptance of Jesus Christ and we have been adopted into God’s family.  We are sons and daughters of the Lord.  Paul gives them an example of everyday life so no one can set aside, excuse, justify or add a human covenant or element that has been duly established as it is in this case.  An agreement in the ancient world was binding in the ancient world.  It could not be broken unless both parties agreed on it.  It was either done by a verbal, handshake, or some form of symbol usually a signet ring.

2.      In Vs 16, The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.  This did not mean many people but to just one person, who is Christ.  Jesus is the fulfillment of all promises given to Abraham.  It is through Jesus Christ that all people would be blessed.  It is through Christ that the fulfillment of Abraham being the Father of many nations would come.  It wasn’t through the law, or priest, it happened through Jesus Christ alone.  It is faith in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross that all people, nations, tribes, and languages are blessed.  He is the universal savior and that is how all people become descendants of Abraham by faith.

3.      In Vs 17, that the law was introduced 430 years later at Sinai and does not put aside or replace the covenant God made to Abraham or do away with its promise.  The giving of the law did not supersede or replace the promise to Abraham that through his seed all nations would be blessed.  That was the misrepresentation that the Judaizers were making.  They were saying that the law was the covenant made through Abraham which it was not.

4.      In Vs 18, Paul says that if the inheritance and promise given depended on the law then it is not in effect, but God in His grace, mercy and love gave it to Abraham.  Abraham lived in an age we call conscience.  He simply took God at His word, trusted God and in obedience did what God asked him to do.  We live in the age of grace and our world operates the same way.  A way to remember Grace is God’s, riches, at, Christ’s, expense.  We receive the promises of God today by faith because of what Jesus Christ did for us.  That is what communion which we are going to celebrate next month is all about.

 

Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.

 

1.      In Vs 19 Paul explains why the law was given.  It was given to show sin and what transgression was.  It was a set of laws and boundaries given so mankind would know what God wanted.  It gave the nation of Israel a framework to operate.  It helped people to understand substitutionary death.  The law showed what sin was and how through the death of another their sins could be forgiven.  The law was given through angels which most people did not see and entrusted to a mediator.  It gave them a practical glimpse of what Jesus would do when He came in the fullness of time and offered himself on the cross. His last words were, “it is finished and all things have been fulfilled. 

2.      Paul in Vs 20, then reveals an incredible truth, a mediator implies more than one party, but God is one.  He alludes to the fact that God is trinity here.  The Father, Son and Holy Spirit were working together.  The fact of the matter is the angel talked about here was Jesus Christ.  He is referred by scholars in the Old Testament as the Angel of the Lord.  Paul is saying that Jesus gave the law, introduced substitutionary death, fulfilled the law, and gave his life so mankind could have the promise of Abraham.

 

21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

 

1.      In Vs 21, Paul answers a question brought forth by the Judaziers, “Is the law opposed to the promises of God?”  Absolutely not.  The law was not given to impart life if it did than righteousness would have come by the law.  The law was a school master, it was a boundary or guidebook showing what sin was.  Man, now knows what God requires and what sin looked like.   You might say it was the YouTube of what sin was.

2.      In Vs 20, Paul hits the nail on the head.  Scripture has made it clear that everything is under the control of sin.  God told Cain that he could master sin, but it was looking for an opportunity to master him.  When Cain sinned, all mankind was then subject to sin. All mankind are sinners.  All have fallen short of the glory of God.  However, sins power was destroyed when the promise came who was Jesus Christ.  Now if we accept Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, broken body and shed blood by faith all that was promised to Abraham is now ours.  We have been restored to man’s original state.  All the promises of God are yes, and amen in Jesus Christ.

 

23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

 

1.      In Vs 21, Paul says before the coming of this current age of grace and faith, mankind was held in custody.  You might say in spiritual and natural jail.  We were like prisoners.  This happened until faith that was to come through Jesus Christ would be revealed.  Paul equates the law to doing jail time.  He knew because he was imprisoned in a way of thinking that led him to persecute the church.  Law keeping is a spiritual prison.  Instead of freeing you it binds you.  It is blindness leading to bondage.

2.      In Vs 22, Paul says that the law was a guardian.  A guardian has rights and responsibility, but they are not necessarily a parent.  A parent has a relationship based on love.  A guardian does not always.  They give you boundaries but not freedom.  A parent gives freedom with responsibility.  The law was in place until the law fulfiller Jesus Christ came and through Him, we are justified or declared righteous in the sight of God. 

3.      Now that the age of faith and grace has come.  We are no longer under the guardian or the law we have all the rights, freedom, benefits and inheritances as sons and daughters of God.

 

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

 

1.      In Vs 26, Paul states his theme of all of us being the children of God.  This being one of his first letters by the time he gets to Ephesians some 13 years later this whole though was complete.  Paul took Jn 3:16, to heart.  God’s love brought Christ into the world to save all mankind. 

2.      In Vs 27, Paul talks about how in water baptism you identified with His death burial and resurrection.  Now you have clothed in Christ.  He says we have new clothing of righteousness.  We have the nature, essence, goals, promises, and character of Christ.  We want to do the will of our Father and bring righteousness, peace, and joy into our world.

3.      In Vs 28, Paul says there is no distinction in Christ we are all one in Christ.  We are all part of God’s family.  Adopted by the same means and method.  Sons and daughters with everything that goes with it.  Eternal and Abundant life.  What the law could not do Jesus who is the fulfillment of the law did.

4.      In Vs 29, Paul puts everyone who has accepted Jesus Christ is the seed of Abraham.  As Abraham came in the time of conscience we do in the age of grace by faith in the promise of God.  Jesus was that promise, and He was that seed.  We are joint heirs with Jesus Christ.  Everything that Jesus secured is now ours.