The Genesis [ Series] Lesson 29 IN GEN. CH. 18 Abraham is given this special title a friend of God; and he is the only person in the Bible to have it. Jesus called Lazarus His friend (john 11:11), and He calls friends all who believe on Him and obey Him (15:13-15). As His friends, we can share His love and fellowship, and we can know His will. Great is our adversary but greater is our FRIEND. Friendship involves ministry, and in this chapter you will find Abraham ministering in three different areas: to the Lord (Gen. 18:1-8), to his home (vv, 9-15), and to a lost world (vv. 16-33). He ministered to the Lord (vv. 1-8). All ministry must first be to the Lord, for if we fail to be a blessing to the Lord, we will never be a blessing to others. This was true of Gods servants in the early church (Acts 13:1-2). And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men ... for you serve the Lord Christ (Col. 3:23-24 ). Abraham was taking his daily rest during the heat of the day when he saw three strangers approaching. Few people ever traveled when the sun was so hot, so Abraham was immediately both curious and courteous. Hospitality is the first law of the East, and Abraham faithfully obeyed it. The three strangers were the Lord Jesus Christ and two of His angels (Gen. 18:1, 22; 19:1). There was nothing about their appearance that told Abraham who they were, but as he fellowshipped with them, he learned that he was entertaining royal visitors. His ministry to the Lord was so acceptable that we ought to follow his example today. To begin with, he served the Lord personally. Remember, Abraham was ninety-nine years old and a wealthy sheikh, and he could have entrusted this task to his chief steward or one of his more than 300 servants (14:14). Instead, he decided ro minister to his Lord personally. This chapter emphasizes that Abraham ministered to the Lord speedily. He ran to meet the visitors (18:2) and hastened to tell Sarah to bake some bread (v, 6). He ran to get a tender calf and saw to it that the young man hastened to dress the meat (v, 7). Keep in mind that this is an old man running around in the heat of the day! Only after he had served his guests did Abraham stand still (v, 8). Abraham served the Lord generously and gave Him the best that he had. Sarah baked bread from fine meal (v, 6), and the meat was tender and good (v, 7 What a contrast to the priests in Malachis day, who did not give God their best (Mal. 1:6-14). Abrahams service was marked with humility. He bowed to his guests (Gen. 18:2), called himself a servant (vv, 3, 5), and called the feast only a morsel of bread. He interrupted a comfortable afternoon nap to become a servant to three strangers, but because he did, he received tremendous blessings for himself and his wife. Finally, he served the Lord cooperatively and involved the ministries of others. Sarah baked the bread; I would rather put ten men to work than do the work of ten men, said D. L. Moody, and he was right. He was referring to getting 10 men to preach the Gospel of Christ rather than trying to do it alone. Now this portion is very important for us or they would not have so much detail concerning how Abraham ministered to the lord. I hope you have gotten the lesson and take what has been taught in this portion of scripture today seriously.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 02:43:47 +0000
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