Introduction:

Who is Abraham?
Why is he so important? Is it that important for us to know about him and his life? Does his life and belief have anything to do with Christianity today? 

Lesson:

1.ONENESS IN THE CHURCH.
Galatians 3.26-29
Unity is desired.
How is it obtained and maintained?
Unfortunately there are those who want to destroy this harmony and unity. 
Satan is very desirous of cause dis-harmony because this will hinder the effectiveness of the work of the Church. Christians loose focus and Christians loose zeal and finally Christians depart from the faith!

Ephesians 4.1-6

1.A CLOSER LOOK AT ABRAHAM AND HIS LIFE.
Galatians 3.6 Abraham believed God
Abraham a great man, just think of all the times he is mentioned in the New Testament: approx 70 times.

+ Story of the rich man and Lazarus: Lazarus is in Abrahams bossum and speaks 
to Abraham.

+The term “the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob” shows the significance of 
Abraham. A term Jesus the son of God used! Matthew 22.32

+Abraham often mentioned in the preaching of the Gospel of Salvation.

Acts 3.13 The God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob glorified His Servant Jesus whom
you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate.

Acts 3.25 You are the sons fo the prophets from Samuel and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying Abraham.. And in your seed all the families of the the earth will be blessed.

Acts 7.17 But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt…..”

Acts 7.32 saying I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Iccas and acob and Moses trembled….

Romans 4.1-25 Great message of the Faith of Abraham as an example for the Roman Christians.

Romans 9.6-7 For they are not all Israel who are of Israel nor are they all children beause they are the seed of Abraham, but in Isaac your seed shall be called.”

Romans 11.1 I say then has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.


Hebrews 6.13 For when God made a promise to Abraham because He could swear by no on greater, He swore by himself.

Hebrews 7.4 Consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriach Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.

James 2.21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the alter?

Who Was Abraham?
+ Stephen tells us in Acts 7 Abraham was from the land of Mesopotamia. (the southern part of Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans)
+Abraham was an Asiatic Caucasian, white man from Asia.
+ Ur of the Chaldees.
+Abram took with him his father, Tarah, his wife Sarai and Lot, his nephew (the son of his brother Haran, who died at the start of the journey and went to a place God told them.
+ Hebrews 11.8 tells us Abraham went by faith.
+ He went at on Gods instructions, not knowing where he would end up. He fully trusted God. (Hebrew 11.10 He looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.)
+ Abraham was willing to obey the voice of God and he became the father of the faithful.

2.A CLOSE LOOK AT GODS PROMISE TO ABRAHAM.
Genesis 12.1-3
Genesis 22.14-7

Understanding the greatness of Abraham and his faith!
Genesis 12.1-5 -Abraham is 75 years old married and no children.
- Departs from Haran and departed for Canann
- God promises Him:
I will make you a great nation. V. 2
I will bless those who bless you. v.3
I will make thy name great.
Thou shall be a blessing.
I will bless them that bless you.
I will curse them that cures you.
In you all families of the earth shall be blessed. V.3

> The first of these promises: “I will make you a great name” is why we say with confidence that Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation. (Not all the seed of Abraham in the flesh shall have this honour. As Ishmael and Esau are to be left out while Issac and Jacob are included in this promise to make the seed of Abraham a great nation.

> The next items (items 2-6) in this promise have but one purpose in mind and that was to bless and protect Abraham. Many great events were to happen before the land of promise could belong to the Jewish nation. God had promised to be with them all the way. Even to Joshua was the promise repeated (Joshua 1.1.7). When God blessed any on of the Children of promise, not only did they prosper but those who were close to them also prospered. (Can notice in the case of Laban the father-in-law of Jacob. Note Genesis 30.27.)

> The seventh and last part of the promise is the one that concerned the brethren of Galatia as well as all mankind today! “In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” If you notice the first chapter of Matthew you will notice the name of Abraham in verse one! The lineage of Christ, it started with him! This blessing to Abrahams was to make precedence over all the others. God is to establish the divine family and then the divine nation for just one reason….that the saviour of men could come into the world, the seed of Abraham, and that all Christians should also be his seed.


3.FULLFILLMENT OF THE PROMISE.
Galatians 3.16 The seed, who is Christ.
Matthew 1.1-2 Lineage begins with Abraham.

Genesis 15.1-6 The Son of Promise
“this shall not be thine heir, but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir,……..So shall thy seed be.

Gensis 18.9-15 Sarah to be the mother of Issac.
Man tries to help God carry out his plans and fails every time!
Sarai tries to help God by giving Hagar to Abraham for a wife (Gen. 16).
Ishmael was 14 years old when Issac was born!
Sara was 90 at the time of Issac and would live 37 more years
Sara become know as the mother of the faithful reference 1.Peter 3.6.
1. Peter 3.6 “Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him Lord, whose daughters you are, as long as you do well..”

4.THE PROMISE AND THE LAW.
Is there a conflict or is there harmony?
The lack of understanding this relationship cause great trouble.

Galatians 3.7-29
Verse 8 Gospel preached unto Abraham!
I thought the Gospel is something in the New Testament?
How could the Gospel be preached unto Abraham?
The promise of Abraham became a prophecy of Christ and thus the Gospel.
This promise became an early declaration of the Gospel to come!

Verse8 Justify the heathen through faith!
Very strange for Abraham to hear or for any Jew that followed Abraham.
Jewish were not used to thinking this way!
Jesus though did teach of this:
John 10.16 Other sheep have I which are not of this fold (the Jewish fold)
Acts 10 Conversion of Cornelius
Peter had to learn about clean and unclean.

The Curse of the Law. Gal. 3.10
The Jewish people were under a “curse”.
Deuteronomy 27.26 “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all the things which are written in the book of law and doeth them.”

Colossians 2.14 With handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which is contrary to us.”

Hebrews 10.3 “The blood of bulls and goats could not take sin away”
It was only a remembrance of sin, a type of payment on the interest on a loan but did not make the payment. The blood of Christ was needed for that.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. Gal. 3.16
Galatians 3.11 A curse because….. no man is justified by the law!!! 

-Paul is telling the Christians that there is a better way made possible through the death of Christ on the cross.
-A way in which we may be the children of God, members of his family and call him our Father. 

All the blessings of Abraham are ours under Christ!
+ They come by faith through obedience to Gods word.
+ Christ has executed the plan.
+ The Holy Spirit has revealed the plan. 

But the Law was needed and useful for the fulfilment of the Promise.
Gal. 3.17-18
-Law = 430 years after (after the initial promise to Abraham).
-Law of Moses came later! Very import to the Jewish nation, it was the basis for their existence and identify.
-Law did not and can not disannul the promise to Abraham.

Understanding the purpose of the Law.
Galatians 3.19 “Wherefore then serveth the Law?
+ Due to transgressions. V.19
+ Until the seed come.
+ Indication of a temporary law. V.19 & 23

Sin: “under sin”
Romans 3.23 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Ephesians 2.1-5 Both Jew and Gentile under sin!

Galatians 3.23 “But before faith came, we were kept under the lay, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.”

Law not in conflict to the promise of Abraham!
Galatians 3.21 “Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid”
The limitations of the law! The law could not give “life”!
Then righteousness had been by the law!

Galatians 3.22 “But the scriptures hath concluded all under sin.”
All under sin = including Jew and Gentiles! 
The Jews that thought they were ok!

Galatians 3.24-25
+ The law our schoolmaster.
Schoolmaster = Servant entrusted the care of children, total care!
Pedagogue, governor, governess.
A teacher to train and raise the children.
It is the Jews who had this schoolmaster NOT the 
gentiles.

+ Romans 3.1-2 tells of the advantage the Jews had over the Gentile due to the law.
+ Bring us to Christ!
+ Understand justification by faith.
+After faith come…no longer until schoolmaster.

What we are now due to the promise and the law!
Galatians 3.26-29
“For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
“And if ye be Christ´s then are you Abrahams seed and heirs according to the promise.”

This is what the promise of Abraham was all about and the law played its part in making this possible!

Conclusion:
1.It is important we understand the significance of Abraham.
2.It is important we understand the promise to Abraham.
3.It is important we understand the purpose of the law of Moses in connection to the promise of Abraham.
4.These are not in conflict but a vital part for the other.
5.Those who are in Christ are no longer under the law (the schoolmaster).
6.Oneness is found in Christ and not in the law.
7.A relationship with God is found in Christ (the result of the promise of Abraham) and not in the law.

The promise of Abraham was also a promise to the entire world. All who would obey “the seed” would be blessed. 
Those who are in Christ are the spiritual seed of Abraham.
Belonging to Christ is a must in order to be of the seed of Abraham.
Literal Israel (as the chosen people of God) is no more!
All men are one in Christ, and these are the seed of Abraham.

Vorige