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"LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM-AN EXAMPLE OF A GODLY PERSON"

GALATIANS 3:6-9

INTRO: What does it mean to be successful? Donald Riggs said, "The

successful person is the individual who forms the habit of doing what

the failing person doesn’t like to do." (1) We must by faith step out

and attempt great things for God and trust God for results. There was

a successful businessman; people would come to him asking, "What is

the secret of your success?" He always answered, "I see others who

are successful, and I go ask them their secret; they tell me, and then I

put into practice what they tell me." We learn from others.

Today we are going to examine Abraham’s secret of success. He was a

man who had power with God and with men. The key to Abraham’s

success is seen in Galatians 3:6-9. Galatians 3:6 says, "Even as

Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."

Oliver B. Greene in his commentary on Galatians writes, "What does it

mean to believe God? The answer is found in Abraham’s demonstrat-

ion: God spoke to Abraham and simply commanded him to arise and

leave his country and his father’s house. God did not give him a road-

map, God did not tell him how many miles he should go, He did not

tell him where to go; He simply told Abraham, ‘Get up and get out…

and I will show thee!" God made Abraham a promise: He said, ‘I will

bless you, I will make of you a great nation, I will bless everyone who

blesses you and I will curse everyone who curses you.’ Abraham

simply moved out on the Word of God…he heard God, he believed

Him, and He obeyed Him. He had no roadmaps or blueprints. The

only guarantee he had was God’s promise. He believed God. To

believe God is to accept His Word unconditionally; to trust His

promise." (2) Faith is the key to success. Abraham had power with

God and with men because he was a man of faith. Isn’t that what we

need in this world to be an effective Christian? Let us examine

Abraham’s success in the message today as we think on the subject,

"The Example of A Godly Person." What made Abraham great? Note

six things with me:

(1) HE WAS A PERSON OF GREAT HUMILITY

1 PETER 5:5a-6—"..God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to

the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he might exalt you in due time."

ILLUS: Someone said: "Humility is that grace that, when you know you

have it, you have lost it."

A. ABRAHAM’S EXULTATION. Not once do we find Abraham boasting ofhis abilities. Humility is realizing our smallness and God’s greatness.

As 1 Corinthians 1:31 tells us, "..He that glorieth, let him glory in the

Lord." Abraham did not boast of his abilities but he did rejoice in the

Lord. All that Abraham was, became, and obtained he owed to the

Grace of Almighty God.

ILLUS: Forgiven souls are humble. They cannot forget that they owe all

they have and hope for to free grace, and this keeps them lowly.

They are brands plucked from the fire--debtors who could not

pay for themselves--captives who must have remained in prision

for ever, but for undeserved mercy--wandering sheep who were

ready to perish when the Shepherd found them; and what right

then have they to be proud? I do not deny that there are proud

saints. But this I do say--they are of all God's creatures the

most inconsistent, and of all God's children the most likely to

stumble and pierce themselves with many sorrows. -- J. C. Ryle

in Foundations of Faith. Christianity Today, Vol. 32, no. 4.

Abraham did not glory in himself, but he did glory in the Lord.

B. ABRAHAM’S EXAMPLE. The life of Abraham, the friend of God,

describes for us what humility is. It is realizing that we are nothing

apart from God. We are nothing, and we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Corrie Ten Boom said, "Connected with Him in His love, I am more than

conqueror; without Him, I am nothing." The apostle Paul said, "But by

the grace of God I am what I am.." (1 Corinthians 15:10a). God

promised Abraham, "..I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless

thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing." (Genesis

12:2). Abraham’s greatness was based solely on the grace of God and

he rested in the promises of God. God made Abraham great because he

realized he was nothing apart from God.

(2) HE WAS A PERSON OF GREAT OBEDIENCE

GENESIS 12:4—"So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken

unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran."

ILLUS: Greatness in the kingdom of God is measured in terms of

obedience. -- John Stott in Authentic Christianity. Christianity

Today, Vol. 40, no. 3.

A. ABRAHAM DIDN’T QUESTION GOD. He didn’t bother to ask God

"why?" He simply heard and obeyed. Abram believed exactly what God

had said; therefore, he did exactly what God said to do. He believed God

and obeyed God. He separated from the world and its worldliness—

separated from his old life—and began his great journey to the promised

land, a journey that was to take him some one thousand miles away.

(Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible, Old Testament 2, Genesis 2

Commentary) Hebrews 11:8 says, "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."

B. ABRAHAM WAS QUICK TO OBEY GOD. He was 75 years old (Genesis

12:4). Based on the life span of that day, he was a middle-aged man, a

man well settled, secure, and comfortable. Moving to a new location and

starting a new life—being uprooted and unsettled—would be the

furthest thing from his mind. Yet this was exactly what Abram did, and

note: he did not hesitate, debate, argue, or qualify his decision for God;

nor did he try to make excuses, delaying his decision. Simply stated,

God confronted Abram and called Abram...

• to turn away from his old life.
• to accept and believe God and His promises.
• to obey and follow after God and His promises.

And this was all it took. God called, and Abram believed God and His

promises. (Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible, Old Testament 2,

Genesis 2 Commentary)

ILLUS: A father and his small son were hunting; the father told his son

to sit under one tree and he would sit under another, that way

they would have a better chance to get their prey. The father

happened to notice above his son a big snake just about to

drop down on him. He said, "Son, run over here to me this

instant." Just as he moved toward his dad the big snake

landed where he had been. The father said, "Son, if you had

not obeyed me instantly that snake would have got you." I

wonder how many blessings we miss because we wait around

and don’t obey instantly?

God still calls us today. Do we question God’s calling? Are we quick to obey God’s call? Charles G. Finney said, "If God commands something, that is the

highest evidence that we can do it." (3)

(3) HE WAS A PERSON OF GREAT GIVING

GENESIS 14:20b—"..And he gave him tithes of all."

*In Genesis 14:17-24, we see the first mention of the tithe. Abraham was

so moved and thankful by the prayer and blessing of Melchizedek that

verse 20 tells us, "..and he gave him tithes of all." Abraham is an example

for us in liberal giving. What did Abraham give:

A. HE GAVE HIMSELF. The first thing God wants any of us to give is self.

2 Corinthians 8:5 says of the Macedonians, "And this they did, not as

we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the

will of God." They gave themselves to the Lord first. This is a most

striking verse and point. What it means is this: these dear believers gave

all they were and had to the Lord. They used this occasion, the occasion

of an offering—the occasion when they were asked to help others—to

rededicate their lives and possessions to Christ. (Preacher’s Outline and

Sermon Bible, New Testament 8, 1 & 2 Corinthians Commentary) William

Barclay said, "There is only one way to bring peace to the heart, joy to

the mind, and beauty to the life; it is to accept and do the will of God"

(4). Abraham gave himself to the God and God’s will. Abram believed

that the blessing of the Almighty would make up for all he could lose or

leave behind, supply all his wants, and answer and exceed all his

desires; and he knew that nothing but misery would follow

disobedience. (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary)

B. HE GAVE HIS SUBSTANCE. Proverbs 3:9 says, "Honour the LORD

with thy substance; and with the firstfruits of all thine increase." GENESIS 14:20 tells us, "and he gave him tithes of ALL." Abraham

recognized Melchizedek as God’s representative and he honored him

by paying him tithes of all. Hebrews 7:4-10 indicates that these tithes

were paid (in type) to Christ, suggesting that believers today are

following Abraham’s example as they bring tithes to the Lord (5).

Abraham gave not only materially but spiritually to the Lord. He gave

his time, talents, and also his testimony for the Lord. And the Lord

richly blessed him because of that. After returning from his victory

over the confederated kings (Genesis 14) that came against the Kings of

Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela, he is met by

Melchizedek, King of Salem, priest of the most high God and he gave

Him tithes of all. But not only that but the King of Sodom offers

Abraham the spoils from the battle and notice his response in vv. 21-

1. Abraham refused the riches of the world but shared his wealth

wealth with the Lord, and God richly blessed him (6).

ILLUS: Charles Spurgeon said, "There have been many who would do

well if they would learn that they have nothing beyond what

God has given them. And the more that God has given them,

the more they are in debt!" (7)

Abraham gave HIMSELF, Abraham gave HIS SUBSTANCE, and …

C. ABRAHAM GAVE HIS SON. We read in Genesis 22:1-14, about Abraham’s willingness to offer Isaac, his only son to God. What

Grace it must have taken for Abraham to follow and obey the command

of God. What faith he had to have in the promises of God! No one can

truly be called a great giver until that person is willing to give all. GENESIS 22:1-2 SAYS, "And it came to pass after these things, that

God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, here

I am, And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou

lovest, and get thee into land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-

offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." The first

description of Isaac by God in speaking to Abraham was "thine only

son" (v. 2). "Only" underscores the magnitude of the sacrifice. When

Isaac is sacrificed, there will be no son left. Hence, Abraham is being

asked to give his all. We may give a lot, but if we have a lot left, the

sacrifice is not nearly as great as it is when we have nothing left. It is

what is left that determines the real size and cost of our sacrificing.

How very few are willing to go so far as to give their all in obeying God.

Many cannot even tithe, though they have good incomes. Others

cannot sacrifice weekends at their cabins by the lake to attend a

worship service. A good number find the price too high to give up a few

weekday nights to attend a week-long series of special meetings at

Church. Sad to say, many professing believers are not willing to pay

much of a price to obey God. Yet, they still claim to be a follower of the

One who gave His all for their salvation on Calvary. There is a word for

This kind of professed believer-the word is "hypocrite!" (8)

Abraham was a PERSON OF GREAT HUMILITY, GREAT OBEDIENCE, GREAT GIVING AND ALSO…

(4) HE WAS A PERSON OF GREAT FAITH

HEBREWS 11:8, 17—"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. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up

Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his

only son."

A. THE DESCRIPTION OF FAITH. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith this way,

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things

not seen." William Newton Clark said, "Faith is the daring of the soul

to go farther than it can see." (9) This was surely true of Abraham.

God simply said, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred,

and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee," and

Abraham obeyed. And again when, Abraham was commanded of God

to offer up Isaac, his only son, he obeyed. That is a great faith.

Abraham believed God when he did not know where (vv. 8-10), when he

did not know how (vv. 11-12), when he did not know when (vv. 13-16),

and when he did not know why (vv. 17-19). It was faith in God’s Word

that made him leave his home, live as a pilgrim, and follow wherever

God led. Faith gave Abraham and Sarah power to have a child when

they were "as good as dead." Abraham and his pilgrim descendants did

not turn back, as the Hebrew leaders were tempted to do, but kept

their eyes on God and pressed on to victory (10).

B. THE DEMANDS OF FAITH. Hebrews 11:6 says, "..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." The

question we must ask ourselves is not, "Do we have enough faith?" but

"Are we exercising faith in God?" The Scripture says we must "believe..

and diligently seek him." To "diligently seek Him" means "one having a

keen desire for God"—a desire like Enoch had—one keenly desiring the

fellowship of God that he willingly walks with God (11). What are the

demands of faith:

• We must be saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). There is no salvation apart from Faith.
• We must walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). To walk by faith, not by sight, means that we discipline our actions not by what we see, but by what we believe (12).
• We must work by faith (1 Corinthians 15:58).
• We must die by faith (Psalm 116:15).
• We must suffer by faith (Romans 8:18).

(5) HE WAS A PERSON WITH A GREAT PRAYER LIFE

GENESIS 12:7-8; 13:4, 18

1. ABRAHAM’S PRACTICE. Every place Abraham went, except Egypt, he

built an altar and called upon the name of the Lord. We have seen in

previous messages the troubles Abraham encountered when he left the

place of the altar. We need some altars in our lives. Some places where we can have an encounter with God on a daily basis.

ILLUS: The quality of your life will be determined by the amount of time

you spend alone with God in reading, praying, and planning.

-- Annie Ortlund, Today's Christian Woman, "Heart to Heart."

B. ABRAHAM’S PURPOSE. Why did Abraham spend time alone with God in prayer? Because Abraham wanted three things:

• Fellowship (Genesis 12:7a). "..The LORD appeared unto Abram.." Abraham gave up friends and relatives to serve the Lord, but he still had the Lord with him. Never discount the blessing of having the presence of the Lord with you. It is a choice blessing, for "in thy presence is fulness of joy" (Psalm 16:11). Abraham did not leave God out of his life. His life was concerned about doing God’s will. Therefore, he enjoyed the great blessing of continued fellowship with God (13). Revelation (Genesis 12:1b). "I will shew thee." When we obey God, God opens our eyes to understand His Word, to learn more from Him and about Him. When we disobey, He closes our eyes; and we walk in spiritual ignorance (14). Assurance (Genesis 12:7). As we spend more time with God he gives sweet assurance that we are in the center of His will and in the place He desires for us to be.

Friend, what is your purpose in prayer? Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? -- Corrie ten Boom, Christian Reader, Vol. 33, no. 2. Faith, if we are honest, sometimes seems like a candle in the rain, hissing for air. ... Right in the middle of our prayers; the baby cries, the thunder claps, the fury breaks. ... [But] the power of God comes to those who obey. -- Bill Hybels in Descending into Greatness. Christianity Today, Vol. 37, no. 10.

(6) HE WAS A PERSON WHO POSSESSED A GREAT HOPE

HEBREWS 11:10—"For he looked for a city which hath

foundations, whose builder and maker is God."

A. HIS PILGRIM CHARACTER. Abraham considered himself a pilgrim in

this world. A pilgrim is a person who is going from one place to

another. Abraham, wherever he went, he pitched his tent and built his

altar (Genesis 13:3-4; 18). The tent speaks of the pilgrim, the person

who trusts God a day at a time and is always ready to move. The altar

speaks of the worshiper who brings a sacrifice and offers it to God (15).

Friends, as God’s people, we are to be pilgrims in this world. We are

not to become at home in this world. We sing the song:

"This world is not my home, I’m just a passing thru,

My treasure is laid up some-where beyong the blue;

The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,

And I can’t feel at home in this world any-more."

Are we living as strangers and pilgrims in this world with our eyes

toward Heaven waiting for the Lord to return for us?

B. HIS PRECIOUS HOPE. Abraham believed God and so "he looked for a

city ..whose builder and maker is God." Abraham did not SEE that city

but by faith he knew that city WAS, and that one day he would dwell

there (16). That was His hope and it was precious to him. We who

believe have the same hope. Titus 2:13 tells us we are to be, "Looking

for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and

our Savior Jesus Christ." Soon the Lord Jesus will return for us who

believe and receive us unto Himself that where He is so shall we be

and forever shall we be with the Lord. We are going to a place of no

more PROBLEMS, PAINS, AND PRESSURES. We are going to a place

of no more DEATH, DESTRUCTION, AND DISEASE. Revelation 21:4

tells us, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there

shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be

any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Friend, my

question to you is, Are you going to this place? Have you by faith

asked Jesus to be your Savior?

CLOSING: Abraham shows us what it means to be a success for God. He had

Two things in his life which guaranteed his success: Faith and

Obedience. It is required of a man that he be faithful, not

successful. -- Howard Hendricks, Leadership, Vol. 1, no. 3. If we

will have faith and follow God and His will for our lives, God will

guarantee our success. God doesn’t measure success the way men

do. God looks for our Faith and Obedience. Will we trust God and

obey Him? That’s what makes a person Great in the eyes of God.

NOTES: 1. Albert M. Wells, Jr. Inspiring Quotations-Contemporary &

Classical. P. 191.

1. Oliver B. Greene. The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians.

p. 79.

3. Wells. p. 143.

4. Wells. p. 194.

1. Warren W. Wiersbe. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old

Testament. p. 45.

2. Wiersbe. p. 45.
3. Charles H. Spurgeon. 2200 Quotations from the Writing of

Charles H. Spurgeon. p. 199.

4. John G. Butler. Abraham: Father of the Jews. pp. 264-265.
5. Wells. p. 67.

10. Warren W. Wiersbe. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New

Testament. p. 707.

11. Oliver B. Greene. The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews.

p. 452.

1. Wells. p. 69.
2. Butler. p. 33.
3. Butler. p. 33.
4. Wiersbe. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament. p.

39.

16. Greene. Hebrews. p. 464.