Sermon Tone Analysis

“A Friend of God “

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It is a great thing to have a friend, Billy Graham once said, it you have one true friend in your life time, count yourself wealth.

Do you have a true friend?

I hope you have several true friends.

My best friend is my wife, I feel like the most blessed man on earth to have Tess as my best friend!

Do you have friends, that when you hear others talk about them you think to yourself, yeah that person you’re talking about is my friend?

You feel so proud and grateful that you can call them your friend.

I have friends, that I think to myself, they want to be my friend?

WOW, I feel so blessed to know them on a first name basis, I have there cell phone number, they are important people, but they are my friend!!

I don’t know if you have any friends that are rich and famous, or powerful.

But I am here to tell you this morning that you can be a friend to the richest, most powerful, most important person in this universe!

I am talking about being a friend of God; let that soak in for a minute, that you…yes you…can be on a first name basis with the God of creation, that God of redemption.

To be a friend of God almighty is the greatest privilege you will ever!! Are you on a first name basis with God? Do you spend time with God?

Do you want to be a better friend to God, I do!!

Abraham is called the friend of God three times in the bible.

-“Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God”.

We are told that Jesus called Lazarus His friend, -“Our friend Lazarus is sleeping; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

Jesus called Lazarus His friend; wasn’t Lazarus one blessed man!!

Well pastor that was for Abraham and Lazarus, but that is not for us today, we can’t be friends of God like they were!

Oh yes we can! God is not a respecter of person; He will be my friend, and your friend!

Who wants to be a friend of God? Every one of us!!

In this chapter we learn the characteristics of a friend of God.

The first characteristic is a friend of God:

1. Eagerly Spends time with God!

V:1-15.

This to me is one of the most wonderful word pictures in the Bible.

Abraham is sitting in the door way of his tent, in the heat of the day, trying to catch whatever breeze there was in the heat of the day, it was Siesta time.

He looks up and Lo, behold, three men are approaching, and he jumps up and runs to meet them.

His eagerly runs to them, and bows down in respect and invites them to sit down under the shade tree wash their feet, take a break, and let him serve them.

He is 100 years old, but he is not going to sit still while the Lord is passing by!!

He sensed from their appearance, and manner, they aren’t from around here.

Abraham must have been thinking, I think I know Him; maybe he asked Him, do I know you, have we meet before.

Who was this who had come to Abraham tent that day?

It was the LORD, and two angels.

And Abraham is thrilled, and excited about have an opportunity to break bread with God! V:3-“My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.

You are my Lord, I am your servant, please, please sit with me, let me wash your feet, and let me serve you!!

He is so eager to spend some time serving the God!!

Abraham didn’t have to beg them, they said yes and came and sat under the shade tree washed there feet, and rest.

Abraham tell them,

V:5-“ I will fetch some bread, you sit here and rest”

Abraham goes into action, V:6-8-Read.

First of notice:

· Abraham served the Lord personally.

Remember, Abraham was 100 years old and a wealthy sheikh, and he could have delegated this task to his chief steward or one of his more than 300 servants.

But instead, he decided to minister to his Lord personally

V:5-“I will fetch,

V:7-“Abraham ran to the herd and picked out the best calf, tender and good for T-bone steaks.

V:8-“he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed and he served them and stood by them like a waiter at a restaurant.

· Abraham served the Lord immediately.

Abraham could have ignored them by pretending to be asleep, or he could have asked them to sit down and wait until he had finished his siesta.

But Abraham was a man of faith, and faith does not delay when it comes to serving the Lord.

He ran to meet the visitors and hurried to tell Sarah to bake some bread.

He ran to get a tender calf and saw to it that the young man hastened to dress the meat.

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.

· Abraham's served the Lord Humbly

V:2-“bowed himself toward the ground”

He called himself a servant, V:3,5 and called the feast only V:5-"a morsel of bread."

He served the three visitors and then stood near to be available if needed.

He interrupted a comfortable afternoon nap to become a servant to three strangers; but because of that service, he received tremendous blessings for himself and his wife.

· Abraham served the Lord generously.

He gave best that he had.

Sarah baked bread from V:6-"fine meal" and the meat was

V:7-"tender and good".

No leftovers or second-rate fare for such important guests!

What a contrast to the priests in Malachi's day, who gave God the blind and lame animals as a sacrifice.

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Abraham lead his wife and everybody in his camp to get involved in ministering to the Lord; Sarah is baking the bread, the young men are helping butcher, clean and cook the steak, other servants are churning the butter and milking the cows, it is a team effort.

Eating a meal together in the bible conveys intimate fellowship, and agreement.

One of the first things we’re going to do in heaven is have a meal with Jesus, the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Tess and I love to have company, and fix everything up, and cook and serve our guest; we enjoy spending time with and serving our family and friends.

Jesus said it is more blessed to give than receive; there is no greater blessing than serving the Lord.

Abraham is a friend of God; he spends time with God, by bowing before the Lord in worship, by serving the Lord, by being available to the Lord.

One of the best ways to spend time with the Lord is by serving the Lord, and one of the greatest times of fellowship with other believers, is when you are serving God together.

Make time in your life to worship the Lord, to serve the Lord.

Today God wants you to spend time with Him, he is passing by your tent on a daily bases.

He wants to be you friend, He wants to spend time with you, He desire fellowship with you.

But you have to invite Him into your life; you have to take time to worship Him and serve Him, and draw near him!

Thing about it; you have the opportunity to spend with the best friend you will ever have every day.

Get up from your lazy boy, in your tent and run to the Lord and talk to Him, and serve Him!!

· When you work in the nursery, you are serving the Lord.

· When you drive a van, you are serving the Lord.

· When you help park cars, you are serving he Lord.

· When you fix the meal for Grow, you are serving the Lord.

· When you sing in the choir, you are serving the Lord.

· When you teach that lesson, you are serving the Lord.

Friend love to spend time together and friends love to do things for each other!

Has the Lord every done anything for you?

He has for me, and I want to worship him, serve Him and talk with Him, and listen as He talks to me.

It is will Abraham is close to the Lord, serving the Lord that the Lord talks to Abraham about his future plans for him and Sarah.

V:9-“Where is Sarah your wife?

As if he didn’t know!!

She is right inside the tent with her ear up again the tent wall.

The Lord says, V:10, this time next year Sarah will have a baby”V:11-“She heard the promise herself.

V:12-“She laughed within herself, and said, I am old, and Abraham is old, this is a joke.

But the Lord knew she laughed in her heart and called her on it, why did Sarah laugh, she will have a baby,

V:14-“Is anything too hard for the Lord?

Let me tell you the answer to that question in case you are wondering; ten thousand times NO!!

There is nothing too hard for God!!

Listen friend you need to know that today!!

· There is no Person God cannot save!