1 Genesis 18: Preaching/Teaching
Notes
Transcript
One Thing
One Thing
EOT-The Promises of God were confirmed by the presence of God.
EOS-Traits of God’s friends
DDS- Everyone would take a step in their time with God this week [Quiet Time or Prayer]
What is the most important thing in the Christian walk?
If there was only one thing that you could do as a Christian what would it be?
Would it be to serve the poor, to go to church, to give you money, to invest in someone’s life?
Today I want to start with the end in mind.
If there is only one thing we could do, the most important thing it would be spend time with God.
A quiet time.
A quiet time is where we spend time with God. The most important reason to have a quiet time is not so that we say we have a quiet time or gain Bible Knowledge, which we will do, it is so we can know God better.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.”
God created us for this very purpose that we would know him and enjoy him and glorify him.
Would you consider yourself to be a friend of God?
Would God consider you to be his friend?
Would your friends say: Johnny is a friend of God?
Abraham the man we are looking over the last couple of weeks had this on his tombstone: friend of God and we are still talking about it today.
and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.
Is it crazy to think that the God of the universe allows us and even desire us to be friends with him.
Today we are going to look at some different traits Abraham had that we can also have today so that we can be friends of God.
God has given Abraham this Abrahamic Promise multiple times, the promise was now an unconditional promise, remember His descendants were going to be as great as the stars in the sky, and Abraham is wondering how in the world is this going to happen.
He also said your descendants will be as the stars of the sky.
There is only one small problem: Abraham is older than your grandparents, he is past his child bearing years.
Now God is going to confirm his promise again to Abraham and this time he is going to do it by his presence.
The first trait of a friend of God is he:
1. Pursues God (1-3).
1. Pursues God (1-3).
Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.
God initiates with man.
God initiates with man.
We have talked a lot about the Abrahamic Promise. Jesus is initiating with Abram. This is the pre incarnate Jesus. Remember Jesus is God he was not created he has always been.
What greater blessing is there than the presence of God.
Abraham is in the very presence of God right here and right now.
Today God has made a way for you and me to be in his presence.
When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth,
Look @ Abraham’s response: He ran.
So we have Jesus and two angels most likely, you will see this if you read through Genesis 19.
Getting to be friends with God is divine
Getting to be friends with God is divine
It is a privilege we should never take for granted
If you had God sitting in your house right now what would you ask him for. Here is what Abraham asks him for.
and said, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by.
We should ask for God’s favor
We should ask for God’s favor
Do you ask God for his favor on a regular basis?
God I need your favor in my walk with you?
I need your favor in my family?
I need your favor in my work?
This is not a selfish prayer it is a prayer we need to be praying.
Mexican food illustration. who in here before has eaten so many chips at a mexican restaurant that you are full by the time the main meal is served. We should not settle for anything less than having the presence and favor of God in our lives.
What do you want right now?
Abraham asks God if I have found favor in your sight. Don’t pass your servant by.
Many times we want stuff more than we want God and when we do this we are settling.
Growing up I desired my Dad’s favor. What I would do to please him especially in the sport of basketball. Just a couple of years ago I realized that all these years I wanted his favor, I was reminded that I already had it. Looking back one of my greatest memories with my dad was I would just watch bball games in his room while he played the baas guitar.
Application
There is this already/not yet tension in the Bible if you are a believer.
In a positional sense we are completely covered by the favor of God. But we are not yet finished in our journey so we do not have it positionally.
Are you seeking to experience the favor of God?
Can you say as the psalmist says:
psalm 84:10 “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”
The next trait of a friend of God is he:
2. ‘Get’s to’(4-8).
2. ‘Get’s to’(4-8).
Christianity is not about I have to do this. Christianity is about getting to.
Abraham knows this is a divine moment. The Lord did not ask him to do anything he wanted to do something.
Please-
“Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree;
and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant.” And they said, “So do, as you have said.”
So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.”
Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it.
He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate.
What is awesome about God first initiating with us is that we get to respond.
It is Divine-Abraham perceived who they were
The promises of God are connected to the presence of God.
Abraham had to wait a long time for this promise that God had promised him and now God is assuring him with his presence.
God initiates with man.
Get to-Growing up my brother were bonded by blood and we were also bonded by basketball. For a huge part of my life we spent time together playing ball. It is no wonder that today I don’t have to spend time with my brother I get to spend time with him. I will talk to him multiple times a day. I don’t have to I get to.
Application-
God knows that if we will be with him we will do what he says not because we HAVE to but because we get TO.
There is a story in the Bible about a man named Zaccheus what I love about the story is when he encounters Jesus, Jesus does not ask him to do anything, but Zaccheus who is a tax collector decided to pay back with interest everyone he has done wrong.
Is spending time with God a have to or I get to?
God wants us to do good works he wants us to do things but it is not the kind where we have an attitude that says I have to do this.
Kind of like this, if I asked my wife do I have to kiss you to bed, not a good thing. I GET TO KISS YOU GOODNIGHT.
We need to look at our time with God as a get to Today.
The next trait of a friend of God is:
3. Authenticity
3. Authenticity
Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.”
He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him.
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing.
Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
Authenticity is hard:
Authenticity is hard:
God’s promise went from generic to specific. In other words it just got real. God is not one of these crazy people on the street corners saying the world is going to end on January 1, 2022. What God says comes true and he says by this time next year Sarah is going to have a son.
Remember Sarah is a lot like us walking by faith is hard for her. But now the promises of God and the presence of God are connected.
This would be tough your life is literally closing in on the end and you tried to take matters into your own hands and God is still promising a child.
And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’
“Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
Small lesson for all of us, God knows when you blow it . Just come clean with him.
This had to be hard on Sarah, but authentic relationships are hard.
Authenticity is powerful
Authenticity is powerful
No one loved Sarah more than God does. And in the same way no one loves you more than God does.
Many of the achievements of my life a big part of their success was mom believing In me when I did not believe in myself.
Here I am Sarah do not fear, I am going to do what I say I am going to do.
When I was training for my black belt test who was running three miles with me to get ready for the test with our black lab PONGO mom.
Over the course of my entire life mom has believed in me more than I believed in myself. Even if I chose a path that she would not have chosen for me.
Time @ cityview where I had not preached in months. Mom came.
The last trait of a friend of God is:
4. Two-way communication.
4. Two-way communication.
God reveals his plan to man!
God reveals his plan to man!
Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off.
The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed?
“For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.”
John 15:15 ““No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
Just think for a second how amazing of a God we have. Who will share his life and his mission with us and not only share it with us but let us be a part of it.
What better of a place to know God’s plan than in his word: QT
We must talk to God
We must talk to God
And the Lord said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.
“I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the Lord.
And the Lord said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.
“I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the Lord.
Abraham came near and said, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
“Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?
“Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”
So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account.”
We hear from God
We hear from God
Could you imagine having this much pull with God.
And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but dust and ashes.
“Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
He spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose forty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it on account of the forty.”
Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
And he said, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.”
Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.”
As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham the Lord departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
A trait that my sister has is that she generous with anyone whom she comes into contact with. I am 10 years older than my sister and when she was younger and got scared at night she would knock on my door and I would let her share my bed. Now she spoils my kids like no other. This weekend she actually took Paisley camping for her birthday. At times when I am going through a really difficult time, I call her and she is always there for me. But my sister has taught me the importance of not just speaking but listening . At times we disagree, but I have learned from her the importance of a two way communication.
What is going to be on your tombstone.
If we want to be a friend of God:
For Traits:
Pursues God
He GET’s TO attitude
Authenticity
Two way relationship
Application:
How are you doing in your Quiet Times:
Let me say this: Before we can have a quiet time we have to have begun a relationship with God, by accepting what Jesus Christ had done on the cross.
Are you doing your quiet times at all
Are you doing your quiet times as a check mark
Are you doing your a quiet times so you can be known as a friend of God?
I shared some stories about my family today, because I am legitimate friends with each of them.
31 Day Challenge
1 hour of prayer
Pick a goal this week in your quiet time to pursue so that you can be a friend known as a friend of God.