Be The Blessing
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Greeting/Intro
Greeting/Intro
1 Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
Scripture doesn’t say how much time has passed since the last chapter, but Abraham is still waiting! I know time has a way of causing us to question and doubt, and it seems that Abraham has been waiting and questioning and doubting from the very beginning of this journey he has been on with God, so here we see him not only waiting, but notice where his focus is. He is looking down.
2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,
We talked about this a few chapters back when we were introduced to Hagar. He lifted his eyes. It’s only when we see the God who sees us that our lives are changed.
But notice Abraham’s response to seeing God. He ran to meet Him.
Explain hospitality custom.
He ran to meet God and bowed himself to the ground. But listen to what he says in verse 3.
3 and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.
Notice the word ‘now’. He knows and acknowledges his past mistakes and the consequences for those mistakes, but here he asks that God not pass him by and make him wait again.
Let’s look at the next few verses.
4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.”
They said, “Do as you have said.”
Genesis 18:4-
Abraham is begging to be allowed to serve. Please! Don’t make me wait any longer. I am ready to used! Please allow me to serve you now, before this moment is gone, before this opportunity passes, before I miss my chance again. Let me be a blessing to you! It’s not much, but I will bring you what I have that you may be refreshed by it. He has surrendered all that he is and all that he has to the Lord.
It is only through our complete surrender that we become refreshed and made new by Christ Jesus. Abraham offered Him some bread for the refreshment of His heart.
35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
Just as God subjected Himself to dirty feet, a tired body and hunger for the sake of Abraham, Jesus subjected Himself to so much more for you and I. He felt pain, sorrow, sadness, temptation, betrayal, death. And He did so that you and I would not have to bear the weight of our sins. GOSPEL.
Abrahams response was one of willing servitude and necessity.
At the end of verse 5, he is told to ‘do as he has said’.
How many of us in here today have promised God something in return for His favor? How many of us have actually kept our promise to him?
Abraham not only does what he said he would, but he does even more.
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6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it.
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. 8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
Fine Meal Cakes, Tender and good calf, butter and milk. This is more than just water and bread. He brings the best that he has to offer, and he does it without delay. Notice the words used in the passage.
Genesis 18:6-
Fine Meal Cakes, Tender and good calf, butter and milk. This is more than just water and bread. He brings the best that he has to offer, and he does it without delay. Abraham understands that this is the moment of correct response, that his actions in this moment will show the faith and willingness in his heart. If he misses this opportunity, who knows when the next one will present itself.
Abraham understands that this is the moment of correct response, that his actions in this moment will show the faith and willingness in his heart. If he misses this opportunity, who knows when the next one will present itself.
Fine Meal Cakes, Tender and good calf, butter and milk. This is more than just water and bread. He brings the best that he has to offer, and he does it without delay.
2 For He says:
“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
How many opportunities have you slip past you? Every day we are blessed to wake up is a day we have to walk in obedience to God. Many times we wait until things are just right for us to respond. Life circumstances, relationships, money.....special day, right music, right people. We wait until everything is how we want it to be and then use it as an excuse when that day never comes.
Abraham gathered the best that he had for God, but look at what he does with it.
8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
He didn’t set the table and wait for God to come into his house. He took it out and met God on His terms. He waited for God to show Himself, and when He did, Abraham ran to him, begged to serve Him, gathered the best he had to offer, and brought it to where God was.
Too often we sit in our homes, we sit in our churches , we sit in our lives and expect God to do all the work while we do nothing. How arrogant of us to expect God to bless something that we are not fully invested in!
My sermon, your job, music, family, friendships, church.
We must do all that we can do so that God can do what only He can do!
cousin’s marriage
Abraham wanted to make sure that he was giving all that he had to give, and giving it with all his heart.
And then there was Sarah.
9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?”
So he said, “Here, in the tent.”
10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.”
(Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid.
And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”
Genesis 18:
I struggled with this part of the passage. There were many questions for me as I went through this.
Why was Sarah hiding in the tent?
culture, Abraham told her to, hiding
Why did God ask Abraham about Sarah laughing instead of asking Sarah?
covenant was with him, head of household, Sarah was still doubting, to bring to Abrahams attention his wife’s doubt, to get her attention
maybe it was a little of all of these reasons or none of these at all, but I know 2 things for sure because the bible says so:
God wanted them to know that the coming pregnancy was a blessing and promise kept by Him and Him alone!
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Sarah lied because of her fear. Fear for her own reputation, fear of her husband further missing God’s blessing, or fear of God and actually thinking she could lie to Him.
It’s our fear that keeps us from God’s best. God knows our hearts. He knows our thoughts and and our fears. He knows our joys and our struggles. And He chooses to love us through all of them.
As a kid, I never understood how we could bless God. God is the blesser, right? How could we possibly bless Him?
He is blessed when we respond to Him like Abraham did. Responding as if this is the last chance we will ever get! Bring Him everything we have, as much or as little as it may be. Looking to serve Him in any way that we can church!
But we must also go out from beyond the door to meet God where He is.
We bless God by serving Him with all we have.
That means that there will be times when we will have dirty feet, and we will be tired and we will be hungry because of the journey.
God blesses us so that we may be the blessing to others. Be the blessing church. Be the blessing.
We bless God by blessing each other.
Prayer, Invitation
We bless God by blessing others.