Lesson 56

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Bible Study 1 - Genesis 25

 

Series # 5:         FAMILY – FOOLISHNESS - FAITHFULNESS

Lesson 56:        Genesis 25.5-10 GLEANING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A GREAT MAN

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Before we move on into this next series, I feel it important to look at these first few verses of Chapter 25 and take a few moments to just reflect on a few characteristics in this great man of faith, Abraham. I think it is amazing that at the beginning when God called him to follow Him West, kicking over the clods, not knowing where he was going, how he was going to get there, or when it would all happen. As Abraham was looking for a city that had foundations not made by hand, every night gazing into the stars and every day thinking about the sands upon the sea shore and the fact that God said that his descendents would be that innumerable. However if you recall, when God told Abraham at the beginning he was going to have a son, Abraham thought, “As old as I am? Why I am as good as dead when it come to having children anymore!” Yet just look at how many children Abraham gave life in God’s Divine plan during his one hundred and seventy five year life span.  


Genesis 25:5-10 (KJV) “5And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. 6But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. 7And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.

 

These verses record the end of a great life! Abraham was taken from among a pagan people and made the Father of the Faithful. He was taught the harsh lessons of faith and obedience. He suffered for God and he enjoyed the best God had to offer. In the end, his life is concluded by the words "and was gathered to his people."

 

 8Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; [and was gathered to his people.] 9And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; 10The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.”

 

EXPLANATION

 

When we consider the life of this great man, we realize that there are certain characteristics that were present in his life that need to be found in us as well. I see some similarities with what could have been said about him and what might be said about us when we too leave this world. These similarities are made clear by some characteristics I would like to briefly point out. "Abraham: Gathered To His People."

 

When someone dies there are three things that usually come up at some point during a discussion of the deceased individual's life like how they lived their life, some of the events surrounding their death, and where did they stood with the Lord.

 

SO LET’S THINK ABOUT HOW ABRAHAM LIVED HIS LIFE

WE ALL KNOW THAT HIS LIFE WAS A LIFE OF FAITH

One of the clearest and most striking things about Abraham's life is how he lived everyday and took every step by faith in God. His faith was not declared by him, but it was declared years later by the writer of the book of Hebrews where we read in chapter 11 and verse 8, “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Isn’t this is the kind of life that God wants everyone of His children to live?

 

  1. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

     

  2. The Bible says in Romans 14:23, “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

     

  3. The Bible says in Habakkuk 2:4, “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”

     

  4. The Bible says in Romans 1:17, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’”

     

  5. The Bible says in Galatians 3:11, “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, ‘The just shall live by faith.’”

     

  6. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:38, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man drawback, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

 

If the people of God could ever learn to let go of their lives and leave them in the hands of the Lord, it would revolutionize our lives and forever end the struggles we have with worry and fear.

 

The Bible says in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

 

Faith is not just for the super-saint, it is for all believers!

 

WE ALL KNOW THAT HIS LIFE WAS A LIFE OF FOLLOWING

 

The Bible tells us that the life of Abraham was one lived in the acts of following in Hebrew chapter11and verse 9 when it says, “By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:” Wherever the Lord pointed him, that was the direction he took. It would seem that Abraham had no life of his own, but that his life was one totally given over to the will of the Lord. This is a positive indication that a life spent following the Lord is a life that will always end up in the right place!

 

Because the Bible says in Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”

 

When God leads us the destination is always assured!

 

WE ALL KNOW THAT HIS LIFE WAS A LIFE OF FAVOR

 

Because Abraham walked in faith and followed the Lord regardless of where He led him, God abundantly blessed the life of this amazing man. God blessed him financially, militarily, physically, spiritually and He blessed Abraham's family as well. Of course, this had been the often repeated promise that Abraham had been given by the Lord. 

 

  1. The Bible says in Genesis 12:2-3, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

     

  2.  The Bible says in Genesis 17:16, “And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.”

     

  3. The Bible says in Genesis 22:17, “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;”

 

God had promised to bless Abraham and that is exactly what God did! I cannot tell anyone how God will bless them but I can guarantee personally testify that a life lived for the Lord is a life that will not lack in blessings! God may not always bless us in the precise ways we want to be blessed sometimes, but I can guarantee that He will bless our life in the ways that will matter the most!

 

The Bible says in Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”

 

It would be good for us to take the time to notice how the life of Abraham fleshed out the list of graces found in the Bible that are suppose to characterize those who believe.

 

The Bible says in 2 Peter 1:5-11, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

 

Abraham had all of these great attributes in his life and it proved that a work of grace had been done in his heart! By the way, we are to be abounding in these things as well! The reason why is because when we have them in our lives in abundance, 1- they make us fruitful, verse 8; 2- they give us assurance of our salvation, verse 9; 3- they help prevent us from falling, verse 10; 4- they give us a glorious entrance into the kingdom, verse 11.

 

THAT IS THE WAY ABRAHAM LIVED HIS LIFE

 

LET’S ALSO THINK ABOUT HOW ABRAHAM LAID DOWN HIS LIFE

 

The way Abraham lived his life is a wonderful example of what a believer’s life should be. Even in Abraham’s dying days and moments there are precious truths that can be seen in him that should mark all us who know the Lord Jesus!

 

ABRAHAM LAID HIS LIFE DOWN WITH READINESS

Verse 8 says - "He gave up the ghost"

 

There was not any fighting and struggling to stay, but a simple releasing of life when it came his time to go. Abraham had lived a full and long life, 175 years, but when his journey was over and the time came to make that crossing out of this life over into the next, Abraham did so with grace and serenity. The reason Abraham could do that was because he had spent his life looking for a particular city. It was not a city that could be found on this earth, but an everlasting city made by the hands of God in Heaven.

 

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:10, “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” 

 

Abraham knew that Sarah was waiting on him on the other side. He knew that the only way to reach that city and to be with Sarah again was to leave this world behind and give up the ghost. He was able to that without fear, without fretting, and without fighting. The deathbed scene of Abraham was a scene of peace! That is the way I want to leave this world behind whether it be today or years from now. While I am here I am looking for a city that will never be found in this world and I know that the only way I will ever get there is to someday give up the ghost and cross over to the other side to be with my Savior and Lord. Until my journey which God has created me for and called me to is finished I am just going to keep traveling with Him leaving the where, the when, and the how up to Him.

 

I know I am not alone when it comes to thinking these thoughts. It may be more obvious among the older among us than those of you who are still young and in your prime of life. However, I feel sure everyone in this Bible Study has looked beyond the years to a day when we too will make this crossing. This is usually not something we discuss very often for some reason, but it does come to our mind from time to time, especially as we get older! I have noticed that with the passing of years, the changing physical abilities, and conditions that keep coming up, the fading and disappearing of youthfulness, and many other things I could mention seem to bring the thought to surface a lot more often than it did years ago. However, that is not a bad thing because those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ have a great and wonderful assurance ahead when we look at the day of our departure! We have all of the Lord's promises concerning that day.

 

For us, it will be a time of laying aside the temporary for the permanent.

  1.  The Bible says in 2nd Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

 

For us, it will be a time of leaving the land of the dying in order to enter the land of the living.

  1. The Bible says in John 11:25-26, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

 

For us, it will be a time of passing through the veil to stand in the presence of the Lord Himself. 

  1. The Bible says in 2nd Corinthians 5:8, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

 

For us, it will be nothing more than a "departure" from this life and an entrance into a new and better life in that same city Abraham looked for.

  1. The Bible says in 2nd Timothy 4:6, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.”

 

Abraham knew it before there was even a Bible from which to read it! He knew it by faith and so do I! The question is how many reading this Bible Study have this assurance and confidence of knowing that if your next breath was your last that you would be safe and secure in the arms of the living and loving Lord Jesus Christ for eternity?

 

ABRAHAM LAID HIS LIFE DOWN WITH REASSURANCE

The Bible tells us that he was "gathered to his people."

 

This does not have reference to the grave! No, he was buried with Sarah in Canaan. His people had died in Haran and Ur. Abraham was gathered to those who had died before him in faith! He went to that place where those died in faith were waiting for him!

 

The Bible says in Luke 16:23, Jesus said, “23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”

 

They were all waiting for another One who came into their midst with some glorious news one day! When Jesus died on the cross, He descended into Paradise with the glorious news that redemption had been purchased for all those who had died in faith! With that news, He lead them out of Paradise and into Heaven in a glorious parade of triumph and victory.

 

The Bible says in Ephesians 4:8-10, “Wherefore he saith, ‘When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.’ 9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) ”

 

The Bible says in 1st Peter 3:19, “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;”

 

Somehow, Abraham knew this by faith! The glorious Good News is that you and I have a better assurance that even Abraham had! He was to go to Paradise to stay until the price was paid. Neither Abraham, nor any other believer before the cross of Jesus knew how long that would be! They were looking forward to that event. Today, because we are on this side of the cross, we look backward at that event! IT IS FINISHED! The way is opened and all those who died in faith are immediately gathered home to the presence of the Lord in Heaven! Because of the shed blood of Jesus, we have been redeemed and there will be no waiting for us, but we will be led immediately into the presence of the throne of God!

 

WE HAVE RECALLED THAT ABRAHAM’S LIFE WAS A LIFE OF FAITH

 

WE HAVE RECOUNTED THAT ABRAHAM’S LIFE WAS A LIFE OF FOLLOWING

 

 

FINALLY LET’S REMEMBER THAT ABRAHAMS LIFE WAS A LIFE OF LOVING HIS LORD

 

ON EVERY HAND ABRAHAM DISPLAYED HIS LOVE FOR HIS LORD

 

All through his life, he simply obeyed what the Lord told him to do! When the Lord said go, he went. When the Lord said do, he did. When the Lord said stay, he stayed. He obeyed even when the command was difficult and costly. He obeyed when every instinct within him told him to do the opposite. The true essence of love for the Lord is that genuine love always manifests itself in obedience to God, regardless of what He says to do! This was a truth that became crystal clear because of the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The Bible says in John 14:15, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

 

The Bible says in John 14:21, Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

 

We can say anything we want too about the level of our love for Jesus, but the ultimate expression of our love for Jesus will be found in how we obey Him in whatever He tells us to do! If we obey man and society and what is popular rather than what Jesus tells us to do, then our love for Jesus is not what it should be. If we are willing to forsake all in order to obey Jesus regardless of the cost or consequences that is living proof that we are manifesting our love for Jesus above all else, honoring the Father and we will be loved exceedingly by the Father who gave His only begotten Son to pay the ultimate price and die for our sins.

 

ON EVERY HAND ABRAHAM DECLARED HIS LOVE FOR HIS LORD

 

As we read the Bible, we see that Abrahams love for His Lord was declared, but, it was never declared by Abraham! Isn't that strange? There are a lot of people who want to tell us how much they love the Lord. Abraham didn't talk about how much he loved the Lord, he just did it! There is a big difference! However, the love of Abraham is declared in the Bible.

 

It is mentioned by a man named Jehoshaphat.

The Bible says in 2nd Chronicles 20:7, “Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend forever?”

 

God Himself talked about this man Abraham and his love for the Lord.

The Bible says in Isaiah 41:8, “But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.”

 

Both of these references refer to Abraham as being a "friend" of the Lord. This means "one well beloved by another." You may wonder how I can make to leap from Abraham being called a friend of God to his love for the Lord.

 

The answer lies in what Jesus said.

The Bible says in John 15:14, Jesus said, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”

The Bible says in John 14:15, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” 

 

Putting these two passages together tell us that the one who is God's friend is the one who is obedient to the Lord. It tells us, those who walk in obedience are those who really love Him!

 

CONCLUSION

 

As we consider these characteristics from the life of Abraham, I wonder how our lives measures up. As I look around me I cannot help but wonder, how are our lives really being lived? As it was with Abraham, are we ready to lay our lives down the right way when the time comes? Do we really love the Lord the way Abraham loved the Lord? These are extremely important questions that need to be addressed in our lives. I don't want to be Abraham because I could never be anyone but who I am, but I do want to look at those areas in my life that could be changed to line up more clearly with what God found pleasing in his life. We should all want to glean the best of Abraham's characteristics and make them true in our own lives as well!

 

INVITATION

 

There Is One Correct Life! There Is One Correct Path!

There Is An Earthly One! There Is A Spiritual One!

Which One Have You Chosen?Yours or God’s?

 

DO YOU NEED SOME HELP?

To find more help in receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please go to the Bible Study Title Page “ETERNAL LIFE.” Please send me an email and let me know about any decision for Christ you make so that I may pray for you. Feel free to send me any questions, comments, or responses you may have as well. For those who are already Christians I invite you to also please let me know of any decisions you make in your Christian life for Jesus. Please send me your questions, comments, or responses and let me know if the Bible Studies are helping you. I really need to hear from you – so please send me a comment about the Bible Studies to:

<rfdenning1951@gmail.com>

 

ALWAYS REMEMBER!

The support of your local Church ministry and the ministry of your Pastor should be the first priority of your Christian life and your service to the Lord. Be faithful to prayerfully prepare and attend Sunday School and Worship Service this Sunday and participate in worship as your Pastor preaches the Word. Do not forget to give the Lord at least your TITHE through your local church from your gross income – that is your first fruits. Any other other giving is an offering to a ministry unto the Lord. Honor the Lord in all you do and with all that you have. Always remember that everything you have and all you are belongs to the Lord. It is on loan to you – so manage it well! There will be an audit one day! Make sure the Books Balance!

 

All Bible Studies Are Prepared by Pastor Frank Denning And May Be Be Used By Permission.