Father Abraham – Part 3

Introduction and Review 

• A character study focuses on a single biblical character and draws attention to qualities in that person’s life that model things we should emulate or avoid.  

• Romans 4:19–22 (ESV): 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 

• We can be on a faith journey and be flawed 

Jesus’ Views on Social Interactions with Sinners 

• Matthew 9:10–13 (ESV): 10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” 

• Mark 7:8 (ESV): 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” 

Takeaways from How Jesus Related to Sinners 

Sinners did not make Jesus panic 

• Romans 14:15–16 (ESV): 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 

• 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (KJV 1900): 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 

• 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (ESV): 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 

• It’s referring to kinds of evil, not literally appearances  

• 1 Timothy 4:12 (ESV): 12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 

• 1 Corinthians 5:11 (ESV): 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 

• 1 Corinthians 5:9–10 (ESV): 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.  

• “Here, he instructed that at times we are to withdraw Fellowship. This case means to administer strict discipline when church members openly persist in sin and do not heed corrective counsel.”–Jack Hayford (Spirit-Filled Study Bible: Kingdom Equipping Through the Power of the Word, Third edition, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2018, p. 1650) 

• “This doesn’t mean you can’t speak to the person, or that you are to treat him cruelly. Instead, it means you are not to treat him like a fellow Christian when he is showing contempt for God, and for his people by ignoring the divinely prescribed process of church discipline.”–Tony Evans (The Tony Evans Bible Commentary: Advancing God’s Kingdom Agenda, Nashville: Holman, 2019, p. 1156) 

• Galatians 6:1–2 (ESV): 1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 

• We can’t take the measures we apply to extreme cases of sin and apply them to common cases of sin. 

• 1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV): 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 

• Romans 12:2 (ESV): 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

• Matthew 5:13–14 (ESV): 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 

• People who followed Jesus did not immediately mature 

• People allowed people to serve in ministry while they were still growing spiritually 

• Jesus pointed to people with a sinful history as examples for us to follow  

• Luke 7:44–50 (ESV): 44 Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” 

• Matthew 26:13 (ESV): 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” 

• The reality of the Christian life includes a battle with sin that we fight from a place of victory. 

The Checkered Journey of Abraham 

Genesis 17 (ESV): 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”  

9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”  

15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but Sarah, your wife, shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”  

22 When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. 23 Then Abraham took Ishmael, his son, and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 That very day, Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.  

Righteousness By Faith 

Genesis 15:5–6 (ESV): 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 

Abraham Believed the Gospel 

Galatians 3:8–9 (ESV): 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.