Tag Archives: Abraham

LIFE LESSONS FROM ABRAHAM – 1

Christian Life, ,

At the end of our journey with Abraham, we can learn valuable life lessons to apply to our own faith walk with God.

Let’s begin with the most significant lesson of all, Abraham’s faith. Abraham’s decision to believe God’s promise of many parts; (a son, a nation, a homeland, and a legacy for the whole world, which God reiterated to both Isaac and Jacob, and ratified with a blood sacrifice ceremony and with the sign of circumcision when he was a barren old man), put him into the state of righteousness with God. This is the same criterion and requirement for everyone who aspires to participate in God’s kingdom.

After his choice to believe God’s promise, Abraham’s standing in God no longer depended on his performance but on the righteousness credited to him because of his faith. He would always have a credit balance in his relationship with God, guaranteed by his faith in God’s promise.

‭Romans‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭NLT‬
[13] “Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith…
[16] So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.”

God treasures faith in Him and His word more than any other human response to Him.

‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭NLT‬
[1] “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see…
[6] And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

‭John‬ ‭6:28‭-‬29‬ ‭NLT‬
[28]”They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” [29] Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

Unbelief is what dishonours God the most because unbelief declares that God is a liar. Unbelief produces all the evil behaviour that reflects rebellion against God’s person and standards.

‭John‬ ‭3:18‭-‬19‬ ‭NLT‬
[18] “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. [19] And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.”

Evil deeds, then, are the fruit of unbelief, and unbelief will bring God’s judgment down on the heads of all who dare to call Him a liar.

It was his standing in grace that Abraham received by faith that brought him into the intimacy of friendship with God. Abraham did not claim this friendship for himself. God drew him into this intimate relationship because Abraham also lived righteously. It was God who expressed His confidence that Abraham would not only live a righteous life but also lead his family to follow his example.

‭Genesis‬ ‭18:17‭-‬19‬ ‭NLT‬
[17] “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked. [18] “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. [19] I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.”

What a legacy for those who are declared righteous because of their faith! If every godly parent would follow God’s pattern, God’s kingdom in our hearts would spread and flourish in our communities.

To be continued…

DIARY OF THE FATHER OF FAITH – 1

Bible Study, ,

What was it about Abraham’s life that qualified him to be a friend of God and the forefather of God’s chosen nation, Israel?

‭James‬ ‭2:23‬ ‭NLT‬
[23] “And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.”

We could explore many of Abraham’s character traits that endeared him to God, but one stands out above all others, his faith.

‭Romans‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭NLT‬
[1]” Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God?
[3] For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

We can learn much from Abraham about the kind of faith that sets up a strong and enduring walk with God. So unbreakable had the bond between God and Abraham become that God based all His merciful dealings with Abraham’s faithless descendants on His covenant promises to Abraham. Despite Israel’s stubborn refusal to obey God’s instructions, He was merciful to them, repeatedly forgave their sin, saved a remnant in times of punishment and exile to continue His faithfulness to Abraham.

‭Exodus‬ ‭32:13‭-‬14‬ ‭NLT‬
[13] Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’” [14] So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.

Where did Abraham’s journey with God begin? Abraham was originally a citizen of Ur, a city in Babylon notorious for its idolatry. “Babylon” on the Bible represents the world system with all its wickedness and determined rebellion against God.

‭Genesis‬ ‭11:1‭-‬2‬ ‭NLT‬
[1] “At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. [2] As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.
[4] Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.” [5] But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. [6] “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! [7] Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.” [8] In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. [9] That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.”

It was not from Ur that God called Abraham away, but from Haran, an ancient city 480 km northeast of Canaan, in modern eastern Turkey. Abraham’s father, Terah, relocated his family, including his brother’s son, Lot, from Ur to Haran and lived there for years before his death.

‭Genesis‬ ‭11:31‭-‬32‬ ‭NLT‬
[31] “One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. [32] Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.”

After Terah’s death, God called Abraham away from Haran to a land He would show him in due course. To Abraham’s credit, he obeyed the Lord, but not fully, because he took Lot with him when God told him to leave his family behind. Lot eventually proved to be a hindrance, yet God even used Lot to teach Abraham great prophetic truths as we shall see.

How did Abraham know where to go? We are not told but, somehow, he set off in the right direction, moving south towards Canaan. The journey must have taken many months, travelling with all his servants, livestock, and possessions, setting up camp at night, and breaking camp again whenever it was time to leave.

Did these months of travel give Abraham time to contemplate God? Paul tells us, in Romans 1, that God can be known from a diligent observation of the natural world.

‭Romans‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭NLT‬
[20] “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

Did this time on the road give Abraham opportunity to secure his commitment to the God he recognised in the world around him? What did he see, or hear, as he gazed into the night sky above, unspoilt by city lights? What did the stars tell him of God’s plan of salvation?

‭Psalms‬ ‭19:1‭-‬4‬ ‭NLT‬
[1]”The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. [2] Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. [3] They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. [4] Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.”

So, Abraham’s journey towards becoming the Father of Faith, begins with a natural journey from Haran to Canaan. There is no record of God’s communication with Abraham, apart from his call to leave Haran…

‭Genesis‬ ‭12:1‬ ‭NLT‬
[1] The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you….
[5]”… He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan.

… until he arrived in Canaan. Only there did God speak to him again.

‭Genesis‬ ‭12:5‭-‬7‬ ‭NLT‬
[5b] “When they arrived in Canaan, [6] Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. [7] Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.”

Abraham’s first recorded act of worship was to erect an altar to the Lord where he camped at Shechem.
From there on, he set up altars wherever he camped, perhaps as a sign to the resident Canaanites that he acknowledged God’s presence in the whole land.

To be continued…

FAITH IS THE KEY

Bible Study, ,

FAITH IS THE KEY 

“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about – but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work, but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.” Romans 4:1-5.

Having laid out his case for the guilt of the whole world, and the impossibility of satisfying God’s righteous and holy standards by trying to keep the law, Paul moved on to build his case for God’s way of declaring people “not guilty” and making them acceptable to Him.

God could not sweep sin under the carpet. In the beginning, He made it clear to Adam that the penalty for disobedience would be death. He was obliged to honour His own word. When the first pair disobeyed Him, they were alienated from Him and brought the judgment of death upon themselves, the human race and the cosmos itself. There was nothing they could do to undo what they had done.

There was only one way to satisfy God’s justice and, at the same time, justify the guilty – if a human being, who had no sin of his own, would take on himself the penalty for sin on behalf of the sinful human race, then God could forgive sin and reinstate the sinner. God came in person, became a human being, subject to the same law that condemned all other humans, and passed the test. He was put to death as a lawbreaker but rose from the dead to prove both His innocence and His fulfilment of God’s requirement.

But how does what Jesus did become ours? Paul used accounting terms to explain how it happens. Each of us has an account with God. In the debit column is the record of our debt of sin. It begins with a nature that is bent on rebellion. Then, to our sin nature is added the mounting debt of sin that we owe day by day through thoughts, motives, attitudes and actions. All our efforts to add to our credit balance to try to cancel out our debt are futile because everything we do is tainted by sin.

“All of us have become as one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6. 

However, Jesus’ death paid our debt in full. Not only that but He also cancelled the very law that accuses us.

“He forgave all our sins, having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us, nailing it to the cross…” Colossians 2:13b, 14.

“But,” you argue, “How can God remove the standard by which He judges us? Does that mean that it does not matter what we do? Is there no longer any law by which God measures our behaviour?” God’s standards do not change. But He satisfied His own demands through the perfect life of His Son. He cancelled every debt in our debit column, writing across our debt “PAID IN FULL” and wrote in our credit column the name of Jesus which includes His perfect obedience.

No, God did not remove His standard. He put the Spirit of His Son in us to uphold and fulfil all His holy requirements and…He gave us His own nature to desire His ways in place of our own.

There is one more step needed to complete the transaction. It has to be personally received or else it remains ineffective. The basis of Adam’s sin (and confirmed by ours) was the rejection of God’s authority and a declaration of independence. To receive God’s gift of forgiveness is only part of the deal. The other part is to submit once again to His authority and return to His way of doing life.

God appointed His Son, Jesus, to be the ruler of His kingdom. He said to the rebel kings who tried to throw off His rule, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” Psalm 2:6.

Because of His perfect obedience, even to death, “God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10, 11.

Faith in the finished work of Jesus, then, deletes our entire debit column, with an emphatic, “PAID IN FULL” writes in bold letters in our credit column, “JESUS’ RIGHTEOUSNESS”, closes the book and declares, “IT IS FINISHED”, and, in response to faith and, with open arms, welcomes the reconciled son back home to Father’s house.

Acknowledgement

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THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – ISRAEL’S “BILLY GRAHAM”

Bible Study, ,

ISRAEL’S “BILLY GRAHAM”

“When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded: ‘Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskin is going to deflect God’s judgment? It’s your life that must change, not your skin. And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as “father”. Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there – children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children of stones if He wants. What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it’s dead wood, it goes on the fire.'” Luke 3:7-9.

Talk about a fiery preacher! John wasn’t exactly “seeker-friendly” and he was seriously lacking in people skills! Like the one whose coming he was announcing, he was more concerned about truth than popularity.

Who were the people who made up the crowds? From the other gospels we learn that there were people from among the religious hierarchy; there were taxmen and there were even Roman soldiers; the good, the bad and the ugly! What attracted them to John? Did they enjoy getting a tongue-lashing? Was it his brutal honesty? Were they fascinated by this wild man from the wilderness? Was it his message?

Perhaps the angel’s prediction before his birth may give us a clue – he was filled with the Spirit from birth. The Holy Spirit must have played a big part in the response to his preaching. Obviously there was a high expectation that Messiah was coming. The presence of the Romans was intolerable; like the Gestapo in Nazi Germany, they were everywhere, it seemed, breathing down people’s necks.

On top of that, John’s message was riveting. Isaiah’s prophecy was actually happening! ‘A voice thundering in the desert,’ is what John called himself. But isn’t that what Isaiah said would happen? “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.'” Luke 3:4b (NKJV). ‘Messiah is on the way!’

Did John really understand the hearts of these people or was he just having a bad day? ‘Basket of snakes!’ he called them, ‘slithering down to the water.’ Was there a subtle reference to their origin – children of the devil, as Jesus called them? Whatever John meant, it was enough to get their attention. Were they being like sheep, following one another out of curiosity and John knew it? It was time for them to wake up and think for themselves.

What was the point of John’s baptism? Baptism, or ritual washing, was a common practice in Jewish culture. It was called “mikvah”, washing. It was the prescribed way of “cleansing” after any period of ritual uncleanness; it was a form of initiation into a new function or office, for example, the priesthood; and it was a form of initiation into a new movement (Gentiles who adopted Judaism were baptised into their new religion).  Archaeological digs have uncovered ritual baths in many places in Israel.

John was calling people to return to their original purpose in God. This demanded a change of heart and a change of lifestyle. It was to be something much deeper than just a symbolic washing. It was to be a change that affected every part of their lives. John’s challenge was: ‘Are you in this for the ride or do you really mean business with God?’

God called Israel to be His representatives in a world of people who were in rebellion against Him; who were creating and worshipping gods in the form of His creatures rather than the Creator, and who were, in turn, being created to be just like the evil gods they were worshipping.

Israel was to be different. Their lives were to reflect the kindness and generosity of their God. God prescribed a lifestyle in His Word that taught them what He was like so that they could mirror His way of doing things that worked, bringing peace and harmony to the community. But it had not worked because the Jews had followed the ways of their heathen neighbours instead of God’s ways.

John’s message was ‘Return!’ It was a simple as that!

THE BOOK OF ACTS – GOD’S COVENANT WORD

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GOD’S COVENANT WORD

“‘All the prophets from Samuel on down said the same thing, said most emphatically that these days would come. These prophets, along with the covenant God made with your ancestors, are your family tree. God’s covenant-word to Abraham provides the text. ‘By your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ But you are first in line: God, having raised up His Son, sent Him to bless you as you turn, one by one, from your evil ways.'”  Acts 3:24-26 (The Message).

This is a Jewish setting. Peter was speaking to Jews in their homeland, in their capital city. Abraham was their ancestor with whom God had made a covenant and through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed. His hearers were first in line for the privilege of believing in and receiving their Messiah. Their prophets had foretold His coming to their nation and it was their expectation that was fulfilled at that time.

What does all this have to do with us Gentiles? What part do we have in this event and this promise? Do we have a place in God’s promises to the Jews or have we hijacked what is not legitimately ours?

Paul addresses these questions in his letter to the Roman church. It is obviously an old and perennial issue.

Firstly the matter of our claim to what was promised to the Jews through Abraham. Gentiles have no claim to natural descent from Abraham but Paul argues that we have another claim which is just as legitimate and even more secure. It is not circumcision which secures our place in God’s covenant but faith in God’s promises that makes us spiritual children of Abraham.

Just as Abraham entered into covenant with God by throwing in his lot with Him and doing life His way, so every other person, Jew or Gentile, who follows Abraham’s example, is Abraham’s offspring. Not every Jew is a spiritual offspring of Abraham even though he may claim Abraham as his father.

Jesus had the same issue with the Pharisees who prided themselves on being descendants of Abraham, yet refused to recognise Him. (Their behaviour negated their claim and Jesus called them the children of the devil). Therefore we can rightfully participate in the benefits of God’s covenant with Abraham if we have entered his family line by trusting God as he did.

The second issue is – have we, the Gentiles, replaced the Jews in God’s scheme of things because they forfeited their claim to the covenant promises? There are some who arrogantly claim that God has finished with the Jews because they rejected their Messiah and put Him to death.

This is ridiculous for several reasons: The first believers were Jews; the church was born in a Jewish community; all the apostles were Jews; many Jews from all over the Roman Empire, together with Gentile believers, made up the church. There are Jews all over the world today who have received Jesus as their Messiah.  What Paul did say was that ethnic, gender and social distinctions fall away in God’s kingdom, that Jesus broke down the dividing wall of prejudice and hatred between Jew and Gentile and recreated a new system of unity in Himself.

Those who claim that God no longer has a plan for the Jews have not understood His grace. Every Jew has the same opportunity to believe in his Messiah as every Gentile has. God has not cut them off. Instead He has opened the door to include anyone who joins Abraham as a member of God’s family through faith in Jesus.

Just as Abraham launched himself on God’s word and became the channel of God’s indescribable grace to the world, so every one of us, Jew and Gentile, who follow his example, perpetuate the same blessing to our generation and those who believe in turn to the next.