Abraham being like Christ
Genesis 13:1-18
God calls the worst of humanity to make them the best of humanity through making them like Christ.
Jewish history informs us that Abraham’s family lived in Mesopotamia, a region known for its polytheistic religious traditions.
Tradition suggests that Abraham worked in his father’s shop making idol gods. This highlights God’s grace of choosing Abraham from a pagan background and making him like His Son, Jesus.
God loves a challenge; the challenge of turning sinners into saints is the greatest challenge of all.
God called Abraham to make him the father of a great nation, that through his seed all people would be blessed.
But before all of that could happen, God made him like Christ.
Abraham was a liar and a coward, but he kept building altars unto the LORD.
If you worship God long enough in sincerity and in truth, God will change your life as he did Abraham.
Being like Christ does not just happen; it takes time and obedience to the word of God.
God prepared Abraham to become like Christ through leading him to live among the Canaanites, who were wicked, sinful people.
Later, God sends a famine in the land, and Abraham goes down into Egypt and fails the test, being like Christ, he lies to save his life.
But in the 13th chapter, we find a different Abraham, looking and being like Christ because of his actions.
It’s not enough to say, I am like Jesus, but there needs to be some signs of Christlikeness.
Christlikeness is to be obedient to God and love obeying His word.
Jesus said let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify the Father which is in heaven.
Everywhere that Abraham went, he made an altar to worship the God that called him out of darkness into the marvelous light!
If we want to receive more blessings, stop being you and start being like Jesus!
Because God is listening and watching!
Abraham gives grace to Lot, just like God gives grace to us, which makes him like Jesus.
Abraham allows Lot to have the best land, just like God gives us the best life, which makes him like Jesus.
When you walk with God long enough, God’s ways become our ways.
When we walk with God long enough, we love like He loves, we serve like He serves, and we give like He gave.
He that was rich became poor so that we could be rich.
Jesus left heaven so we could go to heaven!
Jesus died that I may live.
Jewish history informs us that Abraham’s family lived in Mesopotamia, a region known for its polytheistic religious traditions.
Tradition suggests that Abraham worked in his father’s shop making idol gods. This highlights God’s grace of choosing Abraham from a pagan background and making him like His Son, Jesus.
God loves a challenge; the challenge of turning sinners into saints is the greatest challenge of all.
God called Abraham to make him the father of a great nation, that through his seed all people would be blessed.
But before all of that could happen, God made him like Christ.
Abraham was a liar and a coward, but he kept building altars unto the LORD.
If you worship God long enough in sincerity and in truth, God will change your life as he did Abraham.
Being like Christ does not just happen; it takes time and obedience to the word of God.
God prepared Abraham to become like Christ through leading him to live among the Canaanites, who were wicked, sinful people.
Later, God sends a famine in the land, and Abraham goes down into Egypt and fails the test, being like Christ, he lies to save his life.
But in the 13th chapter, we find a different Abraham, looking and being like Christ because of his actions.
- Abraham is like Christ: He has developed a habit of worship- vs. 1-4
- Abraham is like Christ: He seeks resolution for conflict. - vs. 5-8
- Abraham is like Christ: He gives up what is rightfully his. - vs. 9-13
It’s not enough to say, I am like Jesus, but there needs to be some signs of Christlikeness.
Christlikeness is to be obedient to God and love obeying His word.
Jesus said let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify the Father which is in heaven.
- Abraham has developed a habit of worship- vs. 1-4
“And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai."
- After his failure in Egypt, he goes back to Beth-el.
- Bethel is the house of God.
- Between Bethel and Hai he experienced God.
“Unto the place of the altar which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.”
- A habit of worshipping God brings you to the place of worship.
- The place of the altar, which he had made, suggests that worship requires work.
- Work of preparing our hearts, minds, and souls.
Everywhere that Abraham went, he made an altar to worship the God that called him out of darkness into the marvelous light!
- Worship transforms the worshippers into the image of Jesus.
- Abraham seeks resolution for conflict- vs. 5-8
“And Abram said unto Lot. Let there be no strife, I pray thee between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.”
- People who are like Christ make the first move to resolve whatever divides them.
- The first move is to talk to the person, not about the person.
- To talk is not to assign blame, and to prove that you are right.
- Abraham wanted to please God, and to do that,t we must get along with our brothers and sisters.
- Abraham uses godly principles and common sense to settle the issue that causes a problem in the camp.
- When you hang around blessed people, blessings fall on you just because you are there.
If we want to receive more blessings, stop being you and start being like Jesus!
- Look at the God in Abraham that’s on display.
- Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, for we be brethren.
- Abraham leaves his ego, pride, and selfishness at the house.
Because God is listening and watching!
- Abraham gives up what is rightfully his- vs. 9-13
“Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand then, I will go to the left."
- When we put the needs of others before our needs, we are like Christ.
- When we make a sacrifice to resolve an issue, we are being like Christ.
- Abraham was the one whom God called, not Lot, so everything belongs to Abraham.
- God promised the land to Abraham, not Lot.
- All the milk and honey in the land belong to Abraham.
- Abraham being like Jesus, tells Lot to look over the whole land and choose what you want, and I’ll give it to you.
Abraham gives grace to Lot, just like God gives grace to us, which makes him like Jesus.
Abraham allows Lot to have the best land, just like God gives us the best life, which makes him like Jesus.
When you walk with God long enough, God’s ways become our ways.
When we walk with God long enough, we love like He loves, we serve like He serves, and we give like He gave.
He that was rich became poor so that we could be rich.
Jesus left heaven so we could go to heaven!
Jesus died that I may live.
