Lessons from Abraham - Father of All Nations

Lets continue to pray for Jackie she made it through surgery fine yesterday. Lets keep Brian in prayer he attended bible study last night and is searching for direction.

Lessons from Abraham - Father of All Nations
Presented by Ray Patrick



And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. (Genesis 15:6NLT)

Abraham, the founding father of the Jewish nation of Israel, was a man of great faith and obedience to the will of God. His name in Hebrew means "father of a multitude." Originally called Abram, or "exalted father," the Lord changed his name to Abraham as a symbol of the covenant promise to multiply his descendants into a great nation that God would call his own.

More years passed during which Abraham and Sarah questioned God's promise. At one point, they decided to take matters into their own hands. At Sarah's encouragement, Abraham slept with Hagar, his wife's Egyptian maidservant. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, but he was not the promised son. God returned to Abraham when he was 99 to remind him of the promise and reinforce his covenant with Abraham. A year later, Isaac was born.

God brought more tests to Abraham, including a second incident when Abraham lied about Sarah's identity, this time to King Abimelech. But Abraham underwent the biggest testing of his faith when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac, the promised heir, in Genesis 22: "Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you."

The death of Isaac would have contradicted every promise God had made to Abraham, so his willingness to perform the ultimate sacrifice of killing his son is probably the most strikingly dramatic example of faith and trust in God found in the entire Bible.

Accomplishments:
Abraham is the great patriarch of Israel, and to New Testament believers, "He is the father of us all (Romans 4:16)." The faith of Abraham pleased God.

God visited Abraham on several unique occasions
Abraham carried out a brave rescue of Lot when his nephew was taken captive after
the Battle of the Valley of Siddim.

Strengths:
God tested Abraham severely in more than one instance, and Abraham demonstrated extraordinary faith, trust and obedience to the will of God. He was well-respected and successful in his occupation. He also had courage to face a powerful enemy coalition.

Weaknesses:
Impatience, fear, and a tendency to lie under pressure were a few of Abraham's weaknesses revealed in the biblical account of his life.

Life Application:
One crucial lesson we learn from Abraham is that God can and will use us in spite of our weaknesses. God will even stand by us and rescue us from our foolish mistakes. The Lord is greatly pleased by our faith and willingness to obey him.

Like most of us, Abraham came to the full realization of God's purpose and promise only over a long period of time and a process of revelation. Thus, we learn from him that God's calling will usually come to us in stages, and God moves in His time

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them. (Hebrews 11:8-12NLT)

Father, thank you for using us despite our weaknesses. Thanks for standing by us when we have made foolish mistakes and thanks for keeping your promises. Grant us patients to wait for your timing Amen

References

Genesis 11-25; Exodus 2:24; Acts 7:2-8; Romans 4; Galatians 3; Hebrews 2, 6, 7, 11.



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