THE L.I.F.E. PLAN ABRAHAM BLOCK 2. THEME 2 - THE PATRIARCHS LESSON 1 (41 of 216)

Transcription

1 THE L.I.F.E. PLAN ABRAHAM THEME 2 - THE PATRIARCHS LESSON 1 (41 of 216)

2 THEME 2: THE PATRIARCHS LESSON 1 (41 OF 216): ABRAHAM LESSON AIM: Identify Abraham as one of the fathers of the nation of Israel. SCRIPTURE: (Matthew 1:2) TLB Abraham was the father of Isaac; Isaac was the father of Jacob; Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. We are all interested in one degree or another in who our ancestors were. Much time and expense is consumed in the research of our family trees and family history. We love to discover interesting nuggets of information about those who came before us. It gives us a sense of connection with something that was here long before we were, and a sense of belonging as well. To learn of our ancestor s connections with national heroes, their involvement in historical events, and of their daily lives, brings them a little closer to us even though we may be separated by several generations. We are all familiar with the founding fathers of our country, or perhaps I should say, we should be familiar with them. I am speaking of men like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and George Washington. As a young student in elementary school, I checked out from the library every biography on the fathers of our nation. I loved reading about where they came from, how they lived in their day and time, what they believed, and of the service and sacrifice they gave in order to establish this country that we might live with liberty, justice, and freedom. The cost was high but these men paid the cost. In so doing, they left an example that every citizen of this great country can follow. The theme of the next four lessons in this block is that of the founding fathers of the nation of Israel. There are fifteen of them, and we often refer to them as the patriarchs of Israel. A patriarch is a male leader of a tribe or family. In these four lessons we will only mention four of Israel s patriarchs; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah. These four, from the beginning, are the direct line toward the Messiah. When God called Abram from the land of Ur of the Chaldeans, there was no nation of Israel in existence. At the time, the nation was only in the mind and purpose of God. The calling of Abram by God was the beginning of the Hebrew nation. Understand that the titles Hebrew, Israel, and Jew, all refer to the same family of people, Abram s physical descendants. So, Abram, whose name was later changed by God to Abraham, was the first father, or patriarch, of the Hebrew nation. There are three words that we can use to tell the story of Abraham s life. We have already seen in the previous lesson that Abraham was the friend of God. Some 2,000 years before Abraham, God made a promise that he would send a deliverer to rescue people from their fall into sin. The calling out of Abraham was the beginning of this process of bringing the deliverer, the Messiah, into the world. While Abraham lived on the earth, he enjoyed a very close relationship with God. God himself called Abraham his friend. Out of this friendship, God brought his Christ to the earth to fulfill another

3 promise that God had made to Abraham; that he would bless all the families of the earth through Abraham s descendant. Jesus is the descendant of Abraham, the promised deliverer, and blessing to all the peoples of the earth. What a wonderful thing this is, to be the result of Abraham s friendship with God. Another word that describes Abraham is the word, faithful. Time after time in the story of Abraham s life in the book of Genesis, we see his faithfulness toward God. God called him to leave his homeland and go to a place that he would reveal to him only when he arrived in this place. Abraham obeyed God s call to go. God promised Abraham that he would bless him with a son and that through this son, he would also bless all the nations of the whole world. Although Abraham was 75 years old when God gave him this promise, he believed that God would bring it to pass. Twenty-five years later, God brought it to pass and gave him a son named Isaac. God told Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice to him. Abraham did so, even up to the point short of taking the son s life when God stepped in and stopped him, providing a substitute for him on the altar. All of these and other things that Abraham did during his lifetime were acts of faith in his God. Abraham was a man of faith. We also see that Abraham was a father. God s promise to him was that he would make of him a great nation, and he did. In fact, Abraham can be seen as a father of several things. He is a father of three of the world s foremost monotheistic religions. A monotheistic religion is a religion that recognizes and worships only one God. These religions are Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Christianity developed out of Judaism, and Islam is a rival to Christianity. Abraham is recognized by each one as a father. Christianity, of course, holds Jesus, the Messiah as its chief head, but the followers of Christ are also known as the spiritual offspring of Abraham. This too, was part of the fulfillment of the promise God made to Abraham to make of him a great nation. It has already been stated, but we should also clarify that Abraham is also the father of three families. He is the father of the Jews. He is the father of the Arabs through his son Ishmael. And he is the father of gentile believers today who make up the church. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are a part of the blessing that God promised to Abraham. And, you are also a spiritual descendant of Abraham through Christ. You are, then, a son or daughter of Abraham in this spiritual sense. Abraham was a friend, he was faithful, and he was a father. God had great plans for Abraham when he called him out of Ur. These plans began to materialize when Abraham believed in and trusted God to keep his promises. If he had not acted in faith, God s plans for his life would not have come to pass. God has plans for your life as well, just like he had for Abraham. The plans are different, but they are still his plans for you. Will you believe God and follow him so that these wonderful plans can become a reality? Or, will you ignore them and never see them come to pass? You have a choice to make. Abraham chose to obey God and God fulfilled his word to him. The same can happen with you if you will do as Abraham did and make it a practice for your entire life to obey God and follow the things he calls you to do. You too, can be God s friend, faithful in all things, and the father of great things that God wants to bring to pass through your life.

4 LESSON OUTLINE THEME 2: THE PATRIARCHS LESSON 1 (41 OF 216): ABRAHAM LESSON AIM: Identify Abraham as one of the fathers of the nation of Israel. I ABRAHAM WAS A FRIEND OF GOD A. God brings Abram out of Ur B. God brings the Messiah out of Abraham II ABRAHAM WAS FAITHFUL TO GOD A. Abraham trusted God to take him to a new place B. Abraham trusted God to fulfill his promise to give him a son C. Abraham trusted God to provide a sacrifice in place of his son, Isaac III ABRAHAM WAS A FATHER A. Of three religions 1. Judaism 2. Christianity 3. Islam B. Of three families 1. The Jews 2. The Arabs 3. The Church SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. The patriarchs of Israel Genesis Abraham was God s friend 2 Chronicles 20:7 Isaiah 41:8 James 2:23 3. God promised to send a deliverer Genesis 3:15 4. God calls Abram Genesis 12:1-3

5 5. Believers are Abraham s spiritual offspring Romans 9:7 Galatians 3:29 Hebrews 11:18 6. God wants you to know his plans for you Jeremiah 29:11 Ephesians 1:15-23 LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. ECCLESIOLOGY Christians are the spiritual seed of Abraham 2. ANTHROPOLOGY The Jewish nation The Arab nations The other Gentile nations LESSON GLOSSARY 1. Patriarch A male leader of a tribe or family 2. Monotheistic Relating to a religion that worships only one god QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. Name four patriarchs of the Israeli people. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah 2. What are two other names used to refer to the Jews? Hebrew, Israel 3. Who was Israel s (the Jews) first father? Abraham

6 4. What was so important about God s call of Abraham? It was the beginning of God fulfilling his promise to send the Messiah to deliver man from sin 5. In what way did God fulfill the promise he made to Abraham that all families of the earth would be blessed through him? He sent Jesus to bring salvation to all peoples 6. Three words can be used to tell the story of Abraham s life. What are they? Friend, faithful, father 7. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are part of the blessing God promised to Abraham. What do you think about having such a connection with the story of the Bible, with Abraham of old, and with the promised Messiah? Student response 8. God has plans for you. Do you know what they are and are you pursuing them? Student response

7 THEME 2: THE PATRIARCHS LESSON 1 (41 OF 216): ABRAHAM QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. Name four patriarchs of the Israeli people. 2. What are two other names used to refer to the Jews? 3. Who was Israel s (the Jews) first father? 4. What was so important about God s call of Abraham? 5. In what way did God fulfill the promise he made to Abraham that all families of the earth would be blessed through him? 6. Three words can be used to tell the story of Abraham s life. What are they? 7. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are part of the blessing God promised to Abraham. What do you think about having such a connection with the story of the Bible, with Abraham of old, and with the promised Messiah? 8. God has plans for you. Do you know what they are and are you pursuing them?