Abraham A Living Epistle
of Jesus Christ
Apostle Paul wrote, 

 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to 

be the  epistle of Christ ministered by us, 

written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the

living God; not in tables of stone,

 but in fleshy tables of the heart. 

( 2Corinthians 3:3) 

You show that you are a letter of the living 

Lord God ,

 written not with ink but with the

 Spirit of the living God, not on tablets

of stone but on tablets of human heart.

Clearly you are a letter from  Christ .

 The letter is written not with pen and ink ,

 but with the Holy Spirit.

It is carved not in tablets of stone,

 but in human heart.

You  show that you are a letter from

 the Lord Jesus Christ,

written not with  computers but with the Holy Spirit 

of the living God , not in computer tablets

 but in tablets of human heart.

You are demonstrating that you are the

 Messiah’s epistle ,

 written not with ink but with
 
the Spirit of the living 

God , not in tablets of stone , but in tablets

 of human heart.

It is clear that you are
 Christ’s epistle.

 You are a letter

written not with ink but with
 the Holy Spirit  .
 
You are a letter written not
 in tablets of stones

 but in human heart.

You are manifestly declared
 to be the epistle of Christ,

written not with ink ,
 but with the Spirit of

 the living of God, 
not in tablets of  stones

 but in fleshly tablets of
 the heart.

You are the living letter 
of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Your hearts are the substance which 

God’s writing is made.

The Holy Spirit produces the love
 in your heart  and the mark of 
love becomes  the evident

 to the world.



Now these are the generations 
of Terah. Terah begat 
Abram, Nahor, and Haran in
 the land where he was born.
 Haran died in Ur of the
 Chaldees.
And Abram and Nahor took 
themselves wives. The name
 of Abram's wife was Sarai.
 And the name of Nabor's wife
 was Milcah, the daughter of
 Haran, who also was the
 father of Iscah. Sarai was
 barren . She had no child.
And Terah took Abram his son ,
 and Lot the son of Haran his
 son's son , and his daughter-in-law ,
 his son Abram's wife. And they went
 forth with them from Ur, to go
 into the land of Canaan. And 
they came to Haran , and dwelt
 there . And Terah died there 
at the age of 205.
Abraham , son of Terah ,
 was born in Ur . The family 
of Abraham , like the rest 
of the inhabitants of Ur ,
 worshipped idols. God picked
 out Abram from among Abram's 
fellow idolaters so  that he
 might reserve a people for Himself.
 God chose to separate unto
 Himself a man to be the 
"father of many nations". Faith 
and obedience are always joined
 together . Man can only realize
 his own God-created life by 
trusting God and obeying God.
Faith is the basis upon which the
 Lord can work His will in man and
 upon which man can realize the
 will of God.
Man can only find himself and 
the true meaning of his life 
by trusting and obeying God.
 The just shall live by faith. 
Without faith it is impossible 
to please God.
Now the Lord had said to Abram,
Get out of your country, and from your people , and from your father's household, and unto a land that I will show you. 
(Gen 12:1)

Abram had to leave neighbours, and his people behind him when he left his country to look for the promised land and to follow the direction of the will of God.
God's servant must learn to trust God completely. God separated Abram from his neighbours , his people so that Abram could learn to trust completely in God for everything. If we are to do His will on earth as in heaven, God will give us our daily bread. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
As long as men cling to the things of the world, they can not receive the blessings of the promises of God. Abram could never have become Abraham , the father of the faithful folks, if he had not separated himself from Ur and Haran.
 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for , the evidence of things not seen.(Hebrews 11:1) 
To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of things not seen .For by faith the people of God won God's approval. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
 By faith Abraham , when he was called to go out unto a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
Abraham trusted in God. All of the promises of God are conditional. We can only claim God's promises by faith.

This is what God promised to Abraham.
 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you , and make your name great ; and you shall be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you; and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.(Genesis 12:2-3)
When God took Abraham from his people, God promised to make him the father of a great nation. Abraham is the father of the Jews. But he is also the father of God's spiritual Israel. That is all those people who have put their faith in the Lord.(Romans 4:12-13)

Abraham was to be blessed. Obedient believers shall inherit blessings from God. Abraham's name was made great because he was faithful to God.
Abraham was a blessing to others. Through Abraham would all the families of the earth be blessed. This promise of God was fulfilled in Jesus, one of Abraham's descendants.(Matt 1:11)
God will bless those that bless Abraham. God will curse those people who curse Abraham.
God said that Abraham and his seed would eventually 
possess the promised land.(Gen12:5-7;13:14-15;15:18-21)

God's commands are always accompanied by promises,
 expressed or understood. We can understand more easily 
the promises, though sometimes the reason for the 
commands might confuse us. It is easier to 
understand the promises of God.
It requires faith to claim the promises of God.
 You must claim it, believe in God's word and act 
upon the promise.

God wants us to trust only in Him. Trust in the Lord with

 all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,

 and with all your strength. Never rely on 
what you think you know. Remember in the
 Lord in everything you do, and He will show
 you the right way.
Trust in the Lord , and do good; so shall 
you dwell in the land, and verily you shall be fed.
 Delight yourself also in the Lord; and he shall
 give you the desires of your heart. 
Commit your way unto the Lord . Trust also in Him;
 and He shall bring it to pass. It is better to
 trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.(Psalm 118:9)
Jesus said,
 I am the way , the truth, and the life. No man comes unto the Father but by me.(John 14:6)
We must learn to trust only in the Lord. We must place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We must believe in our Lord. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

 At first , Abraham's obedience was only partial. Abraham took Terah and Lot with him. Terah was not whole-hearted in the journey. Terah was too deep into his old sinful ways to trust completely in the Lord.And they stopped and stayed at Haran. And Abraham's journey was delayed for as many as probably fifteen years.
 After his father's death, Abraham continued his journey to the promised land. Our goal in life must ever be to follow the will of God.
When you go forward to go into the promised spiritual land , do not rest until you come into the spiritual land. The Lord Jesus Christ must have all our obedience. And His demands must be fulfilled completely. But they are not grievous. 
Jesus said,
 Come unto me , all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for our souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.(Matt 11:28-30)
Abraham met the call of God with partial obedience at first. And then for many long years he neglected it entirely by staying in Haran. But God still held the door open for him to enter. It as partial failure for Abraham, but it has an important lesson for us.

Some of you have filed to realize the early promise of your life. You may have made some mistakes in your life. But it is not too late to repair the mistakes of the past. You must not use your long delay as an excuse for a longer delay. You must start your journey or it will surely be too late. You must continue your journey now.

ABRAHAM OBEYED THE LORD 
Abram departed , as the Lord had spoken unto him. And Lot went with him .And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed out Haran.
And Abram took Sarah his wife , and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered. They also took the servants that they had gotten in Haran. And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan. And into the land of Canaan they came.
And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said,
 Unto your seed will I give the land.

And there Abram built an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.
And he moved on south unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east. And there he built an altar unto the Lord.And he called upon the name of the Lord.

Wherever Abraham pitched his tent, he built an altar unto the Lord. The altar means sacrifice, self-denial, and self-surrender  
When Abraham left Haran , he was seventy-five years old. And when he died he was one hundred and seventy-five years old. Abraham spent a hundred years moving to and fro , living in tents.
 The tent speaks of the spirit of his life. Abraham held himself aloof from the people of the world. Abraham was among them, but he was not them. We are disciples of Christ. We are in the world, but we are not of the world. Abraham guarded carefully against the influence of the people of the land.

The tent has no foundations. The tent can be erected and taken down easily. By faith Abraham lived as a foreigner in the country that God had promised him. Abraham lived in tents, For Abraham was waiting for the city which God has designed and built, the city with everlasting foundations.

It is very important that the followers of Christ should live this detached life as a testimony to the world. 
Abraham was a  separated man.
Abraham was separated from his native land and kins folks. Abraham was separated from Lot. Abraham was separated as a pilgrim and stranger, from the people of the strange land. Abraham was separated from his own human efforts and human methods of securing a fulfilment of the promises of the Lord. Abraham was separated to the fellowship in thoughts and plans with God. Abraham's separation is not to merit anything, but because his heart has seen the vision of God.

These people all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.(Hebrews 11:13-14)

These people who say such things make it clear that they are looking for a real home in heaven. They did not keep thinking about the country they had left behind. If they had wanted to, they could have gone back to the things of this world and failed God. But they did not want to go back to the things of this world. They were living for heaven. They had separated themselves from the world. They were in the world but they were not of the world. And now God is not ashamed to be called their God. For God has prepared them a heavenly city with an everlasting foundation.

 There is a difference between the children of God's kingdom and the children of the world. The children of the kingdom of God are getting ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The children of the world of darkness are concern with the perishing things of the world. For in the days before the flood , people were eating and drinking , marrying and giving in marriage , up to he day Noah entered the ark. And they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Lord Jesus  Christ. The children of darkness eat, drink, buy, sell, marry, and give in marriage. They are busy getting lost in their worldly business - though the flood of destruction is already getting ready to sweep them away.

Shall be denounce their foolishness?
Shall we speak out against worldliness ?
This would not give a permanent cure. Let us separate ourselves unto God. Let us impress upon men with the reality of the unseen. Let them see our faith in God. The self-denying , and believing spirit speaks of our faith in God. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for , the evidence of things not seen.

We cannot live  the detached tent-life without some amount of pain and suffering , such as the cross speaks of .The cross speaks of sacrifice.
The separated pilgrim life always obtains promises from God. As soon as Abraham had fully obeyed God, the Lord gave him this new promise,
Unto your seed will I give this land.

ABRAHAM FAILED 
And there was a famine in the land. And Abraham went down to Egypt to live there for a while. When he was come near to enter into Egypt he said to his wife Sarah,
You are a beautiful woman. When the Egyptians shall see you, they shall assume that you are my wife. And they will kill me, but will save you alive. Tell them that you are my sister, then because of you they will let me live and treat me well.
There was a famine in the land of promise ? Yes, the famine was to test Abraham's faith. And Abraham failed the test.
The path of the separated man is not an easy one. He is in the world, but he is not of the world. He must not depend on worldly helps. He must learn to trust only in the Lord.

Put not your trust in princes, nor in the sons of man, in whom there is no help.(Psalm 146:3)

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.(Psalm 118:8-9)
It is better to trust in the Lord than to depend on man .It is better to trust in the Lord than to depend on human leaders. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do. And He will show you the right way.(Proverbs3:5-6)
How often do professing Christians complain about God's dealing with them. They complain that it has been better with them before they began to walk the narrow way. Since that moment they has met difficulties and disasters. They complain that there is no famine in Ur or Haran; but now in the land of promise, they are faced with famines. And they complain that God has brought them disasters rather than blessings.
Those people who complain about God, do not understand the spiritual things of God. They are not walking in the Spirit. They are walking in the flesh, because they go after the things of the world.
Whoever does not have the Holy Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God. such person really does not understand them>They are nonsense to him, because their value can be judged only on spiritual basis.
God blesses His children with the Holy Spirit. true wealth comes from the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. true followers of Christ walk in the Spirit.
False and counterfeit Christians walk after the flesh, because they go after the things of the world. By their fruits they will reveal who they are. Now the works of the flesh are manifest , which are these , adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like:
of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in the past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God(Galations 5:19-21)
Egypt stands for alliance with the world. It stands for dependence on the flesh and man.
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses; and trust in chariots because they are many; and in horsemen because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel , neither seek the Lord. (Isaiah 31:1)
Abraham looked at his difficulties , and he became afraid. Fear is of the devil. Man's effort can not save himself. Man can not save himself with works.
 There is a way that seems right to man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
When Abraham was come into Egypt , the Egyptians did see that his wife was beautiful. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her and told the Pharaoh how beautiful she was was. And the woman was taken into his palace.
  Abraham went down into Egypt without the counsel of God. Abraham had made a serious mistake. 

But many people still make this mistake. In a moment of panic they will adopt worldly methods of delivering themselves from minor problems. And they sow seed of sorrow and disaster.
Do not be deceived by the things of the world. Don't try to mock God with your worldly efforts. For whatsoever a man sows , that shall he also reap. For he had sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption and evil. If he sows in he field of his wicked desires, from it he will gather a harvest of evil.
If he sows to please his evil desires, he will be planting seeds of evil. And he will surely reap a harvest of spiritual decay and death.
Christian women foolishly fall into marriage bonds with ungodly men in order that they may be carried through some financial difficulty. Christian businessmen the ungodly partners because they lust after the money of these pagans. These people have not learned to trust in the Lord. They think that they don't need a Saviour. They foolishly trust in the Lord. They trust in their efforts and their own works. They seek the help of the world with their own efforts and their own works. They will go down to the worldly for help. This shows their lack of faith in the Lord.
For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God; not of works , lest any man should boast.

When Abraham lost his faith , he went down into Egypt . Abraham also become afraid of the Egyptians. One sin leads to another sin. Abraham persuaded his wife to call herself his sister. It was a sin to lie.

The world treated Abraham well with worldly things, but Abraham lost his wife to Pharaoh.

When the prodigal son leaves the  father, he may enjoy the forbidden pleasures of sin for a brief season; but he loses all his substances and brings himself to the level of the pigs. 

There is no altar in Egypt .There is no fellowship with God. And is no new promises .
Take heed , and beware of covetousness, for a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses. he who stores up treasures for himself is not rich toward God.

Abraham's failure in Egypt gives insight into his spiritual growth of Abraham.

When the Holy Spirit helps you born again, you are born again as a spiritual baby. A baby takes time to from into a mature spiritual adult. Abraham was a spiritual baby when he went down into Egypt. Abraham walked with the Lord. And he grew in the knowledge of the Lord. He grew spiritually . 

But because the Pharaoh had taken Sarah, the Lord sent terrible diseases on him and on the people of his palace.
The Pharaoh called Abraham . What is this that you have done to the Pharaoh ? Why did you not tell the Pharaoh that she was your wife ? Why did you say that she was your sister ? Why did you let the Pharaoh take her ?

If the Lord did not save Abraham and his wife, they would have perish in Egypt.

Wait on the Lord. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and He will show you the right way.




ABRAHAM SEPARATED FROM LOT 
God's words tell us that the mighty people of God in the Bible are ordinary people just like us. God tells us that their mighty deeds were not the result of some rare combination of personal qualities, but were the result of their faith in God.
If we understand how faith works , then we can learn how to please God. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith works by love .We can express our faith in the Lord with love. we must love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength.

Many people make the serious mistake in thinking that the mighty people of God have extraordinary qualities of courage, and powerful physical strength. To do do is to miss the whole point of the teachings of the words of God. These mighty people of God were not any different from the ordinary folks, except their faith. In many ways it is mostly likely that they were inferior to us.
The mighty men of God have one common characteristic, which lifted them above the ordinary folks. They all have a strong faith in God. They were obedient to the call of God. They didn't do these mighty deeds and works with human strength. They allow themselves to God's instruments. It was God who di all these wonderful works through them. God did it.
They did it not by might nor by power but by the Holy Spirit.

 Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit. Thus said the Lord. (Zechariah 4:6)

God does not want great men. God wants people who dare to prove the greatness of their God. God does not need great men to do His work. The Lord can raise humble folks up to do His mighty works. The Lord can take fishermen from their boats and tax-collectors from their toll-booths, making hem into preachers, miracle-workers, evangelists , and apostles.
The Lord does not cast us away because of our sin.Our sin is a note of discord. But God can create a peaceful symphony starting with our  disharmony note. 

Our God is a very merciful God.The Lord has not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. for as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear him.(Psalm 103:10-11) 
Abraham was not any better than the pagans, who do not hesitate to lie in order to escape a disaster. When God called abraham, the man who was very weak in faith. No remeber what you wre when God called you. From the human point of view not too many of you were wise or powerful or of high social standing. God purposely choose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the worldly wise. God choose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful. God choose what the world looks down on .God choose what the world despises and thinks is nothing, in order to destroy what the world thinks is important. No one can boast in the presence of God. God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus, and God has made Christ to be our wisdom. By Christ we are put right with God. We become God's holy people and are set free.
God had mercy on Abraham and saved him and his wife from Pharaoh. Because the Pharaoh had taken Sarah, the Lord sent terrible diseases on him and on the people of his palace. The Pharaoh gave orders to his men, so they took Abraham and put him out of the country, together with his wife and everything he owned.

The failure is connection
 with Egypt may have been 
due to the bad influence
 of Lot.Had Abraham been 
left to himself, he might
 not have thought of going
 down to Egypt to seek 
worldly help.

Who is Lot ? Lot was the
 son of Abraham's dead brother, Haran.
 Lot is the kind of person who seems to take the right steps, not because he is obedient to God, but his uncle Abraham is taking him toward God.
Lot was like the seeds that 
fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth. And they sprung up. But when the sun was up, they were burned; and because they had no deep roots , they withered and dried up. They can not stand the stress of the life of separation to God.
But they that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that hears the word of God, and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on the account of the word, immediately he falls away. 

Their excitement will soon turn into disappointment.
And because they don't know how to listen to God, they will become hindrances, and disturbers of peace. They walk not after the Spirit. They walk after the lust of the flesh. They walk after worldly policy and try to draw us toward the Egypt world.

It is not enough to leave Ur, and Haran, and egypt.We must separate ourselves from people such as Lot. The Lord  wants us to depend on Him completely.We must have faith only in the Lord, by loving Him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength.
Know that the Lord has set 
apart him that is godly for Himself.
(Psalm 4:3)
 
And Lot also , which went
 with Abraham, had flocks, and herbs,
 and tents. And the land was not 
able to bear them, that they 
might dwell together, for their
 substance was great, so that 
they could not dwell together.
And there was a strife between the
 herdsmen of Abraham's cattle 
and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle.
 And the Canaanite and the 
Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
And Abraham told Lot that let there be no quarreling .


Let there be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brothers. Is it not the whole land before you ? Separate yourself from me. If you will take the left hand, then I will go to the right ; or if you depart to the right hand , then I will go to the left.

Abraham's proposal was very wise. It was based on faith. Abraham trusted completely in the Lord. Abraham had no that Lot could rob him .Abraham  had learned to trust God to choose for him.
It is better that God should choose for him than that he should choose for himself.

A person who put his trust in the Lord can afford to hold very lightly the things of the world.
He who stores for himself worldly
 riches is not rich in God's sight.
So don't be all upset, always concerned about what you will eat and drink. For the pagans of this world are always concerned about all these things. Your heavenly know you need these things. But rather seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness ; 
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Fear not , little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.(Luke 12:32)

Go in through the narrow gate . It is different from the wide gate because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard . And there are few people  who find it. Jesus is the  way, the truth,and the life. No man comes unto the Father but by Jesus.

Lot did not ask what God had chosen for him. His choice was determined by the lust of his heart , and the lust of the flesh, and he lust of his eyes.

There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.(Proverbs 14:12)
Lot lifted up his eyes , and saw that the whole Jordan Valley, all the way to Zoar, had plenty of water like the garden of the Lord or like the land of Egypt.(This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah)


Then Lot chose him all
 the plain of Jordan; 
and Lot journey east. 
And they separated themselves 
the one from the other.

Abraham lived in the land 
of Canaan. and Lot dwelled 
in the cities of the plain .
And Lot pitched his tent 
toward Sodom. But the men
 of Sodom were exceedingly
 wicked .They were sinners
 before the Lord.
Many people like Lot have chosen the wrong way, because they listen to the devil. They foolishly tried to turn stone into bread. They foolishly bowed down to the devil because they wanted the kingdoms of the world. They have cast themselves from the high mountain top to find themselves as captives.

God honors them that honors Him.
The Lord will do better for those people who trust in Him than they could do for themselves.Lot trusted in his own human efforts and became a failure. Lot ended lost everything. he ended with nothing.

Abraham lifted his eyes to behold what God has prepared for him.
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the wonderful things which God has prepared for them that love Him.(1 Cor 2:9)
Lift up now your eyes , and look
 from the place where you are northward, southward, and eastward, and westward. For all the land which Abraham saw , to him will God give it, and to his seed for ever.
and God will make his seed as the dust of the earth; so that if man can number the dust of the earth, then shall his seed also be numbered.
The Lord told Abraham,
 Arise , walk through the land in the length of it and in the breath of it ; for I will give it unto you.(Gen 13:17)
Then Abraham dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.

FAITH WORKS BY LOVE 
 Instead of living in peace, prosperity, and happiness, Lot found himself in the middle of war. Sodom was defeated by the invaders. And they took Lot , Abraham's brother's son who dwelt in sodom. They took Lot and his goods , and departed.

And there came one that escaped , and told Abraham the Hebrew. And when Abraham neard that his brother was taken captive, he arm,ed his trained severants and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them. He and his severents, by night, and smote them, and defeated them. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his nephew Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

Love is unselfish. Faith works by love. We are in the world but we are not of the world. We don't attach ourselves to the things of time and to the things of the world. This is the result of faith, which always works by love. And this love always tenderly seeks freedom for those people who are held captives by worldliness and sin. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach Good News to the poor. 
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted and to announce that the captives shall be set freed from the oppressors, and that God is ready to give blessings to all who come to Him.(Luke 4:18-19)
Love is very patient. Love is kind. Love is not selfish. Love is unselfish. Abraham loved his nephew. He risked his life to save him. Love is not happy with evil. Love is happy with the truth of God. Love never gives up, and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. Love hungers and thirsts after the righteousness of God. Love is pure in heart.
Love is not glad about injustice. Love comes from the Holy spirit. Love is everlasting.

God is love. (1 John 4:8)
It is love that we should strive for. Let love be our greatest aim when we serve the Lord Jesus Christ. The greatest temptation often comes at the time of a great success.
The king of Sodom said to Abraham,
 Keep the loot , but give me back all my people.
And Abraham said to the king of Sodom,
 I have lifted  up my hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 
that I will not take fro a thread even to a shoe latchet, and that I will not take any thing that is yours, lest you say, " I have made Abram rich' .
Abraham learned to depend only on the Lord for his every needs. Abraham waged war not to enriched himself. Abraham did it because he wanted to set Lot free. There was nothing selfish in his action.
Abraham only wanted to free his nephew Lot. Abraham did not seek after the treasures of this world. Abraham seek first  the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
MELCHIZEDEK 

Thia Melchizedek was the
 king of Salem and a
 priest of the Most High God. As Abraham was coming back from the battle in which he defeated  four kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him.
And Abraham gave him tithes of all. 
The first meaning of Melchizedek's name is King of righteousness.And because he is the king of Salem, his name also means  King of peace.

Without father, without mother,
 without descent , having neither
 beginning of days, nor end 
of life ; but made unto
 the son of God ; abides
 a priest continually. Now 
consider how great this man
 was, unto whom even the
 patriarch Abraham gave the
 tenth of the spoils.
(Hebrews 7:1-14)
Christ , who is like Melchizedek , 
has appeared . Christ is a priest , 
not by human rules and regulations,
 but through the Lord. Christ 
will be a priest forever.
 Jesus lives forever, and His work as priest does not pass on to someone else. And so Christ is able , now and always, to save those who come to God though Him, because He lives forever to plead with God for them.
Jesus ia the High Priest that meets our needs. Christ is holy. He has no faults or sin in Him. He lives forever to make intercession for us.
Christ continues forever , and has an unchangeable  priesthood.
Christ is King. Christ is the King of peace. Christ is the King of righteousness. Christ is the King of kings. Christ is the Lord of lords. Christ is also High Priest. This priesthood ws and is superior to all human orders of priests. Christ is King of peace, first making you right with God, then giving you His peace that passes all understanding.
 HAGAR AND ISHMAEL

Now Sarah Abraham's wife bare him no children . And she had an handmaid, an Egyptian , whose name was Hagar.
And Sarai told Abraham to in unto her maid. And Abraham agreed with what Sarai said. So she gave Hagar to him to be his concubine. This happened after Abraham had lived in Canaan for ten years.
And he went in unto Hagar , and she conceived. And when saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
And Sarai treated Hagar so cruelly that she ran away, but later returned

Abraham tried to use his own human method of securing a fulfilment of the promises of God. And Abraham failed because he was not following the will of God. Abraham listened to worldly reasoning of expediency. Abraham tried to use his works and his own effort. And he failed God. Abraham was obeying human will. He was not obeying the will of God.

Abraham tried to take matters into his own hands and failed God, and failed himself. Man can not save himself.
Before a person can be saved, he must first learn that he can not save himself with his own effort and works. Adam had to learn this important lesson. After Adam had sinned , Adam tried to get rid of his sin by wearing a self-made garment of fig-leaf apron.
But God rejected Adam's fig-leaf apron. And then God showed Adam the way, by providing God's own remedy.
 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.(Gen3:21)

Those animals themselves had done nothing worthy of death, but in their dying a pattern was established by God.
A innocent substitute has to shed its blood to provide a temporary forgiveness and covering for man's sin.
The same order God gave to Adam was the same order God gave to Abraham. It the same command that God to Moses and to the children of Israel.And it is same God who gives the same order to Christians.

Man can not save himself by his own works. Man can not save himself by his own efforts.You can not save yourself with your own achievements and efforts. It is by the grace of God that you receive the blessings of God. Every thing comes from God. Even the breath that you breathe comes from God. The money that you earned by working also comes from God. God gives you the physical strength to go to work.

Man's very best comes far short of God's lowest and least requirements. God has to show man how wicked man is. God has allow Abraham to prove himself the wickedness of the human heart. God has to convince Abraham of his total corruption. And then, only then , was Abraham ready for the message of grace.
And God reveals His plan of salvation by grace, and redemption through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit.(Titus 3:5)
 All our righteousness are filthy rags.(Isaiah 64:6) 
Not only our bad habits and deeds are offensive to God. Even what we would consider our good deeds and thoughts offend God as well. They are but filthy rags because by comparison with God's holy character they fall so far short.

 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.(Romans 3:23) 

 The wages of sin is death.(Romans 6:23)

But God loves man  and does not wish man to separate from Him. How can God justly forgive man and bring him back into fellowship with Himself ? How can God express His love , His righteousness and His justice toward man all at the same time and still require the justly debt of sin be paid ? How can God remain just and yet declare sinners forgiven and righteous ? The only solution is for God to become man. The Lord Jesus Christ 
is truly and and properly God. And the
 Lord Jesus became man, but He remains God. 
For God so loved the world 
that He gave His only begotten Son
 that whosoever believes in Him 
should not perish but have 
everlasting life. Inocent Jesus died 
so we sinners should live. 
Jesus paid our debt with his life
 so that we may live
 in fellowship with God.

Abraham knew of the coming 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
He was waiting and preparing the Savior.
THE COVENANT 
 
And when Abraham  was ninty nine
 years old , the Lord appeared 
to Abraham and spoke to him.

 I am the Almighty God . 
Walk before me, and be blameless.
 I will make My covenant 
between Me and you , and will multiply you exceedingly. 

And Abraham fell on his face. And God talked to him.
 As for Me, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made you. And I will make you exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you nd your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto you, and to your seed after you. And I will give unto you , and to your seed after you , the land wherein you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I willbe their God.
And God spoke to Abraham,
 You shall keep My covenant therefore , you, and your seed after you in their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you. Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covent between Me and you. And he that is eight  days old shall be circumcised among you, every  man child in generations, he that is born in the house, or brought with money of any stranger, which is not of your seed.
he that is born in your house, and he that is bought with your money, must need to be circumcised.And my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cutted off from his people. He has broken my covenant.
As for Sarai your wife , you shall not call her by her name Sarai, but Sarah her b. And I will bless her, and give her, and you a son also of her.Yea; I will bless her , and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her , indeed. 
And you shall call his name Isaac.
And I will establish My covenant with for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
and as for Ishmael , I have heard you. Behold I have blessed him, and will make hum fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. Twelve princes shall he begat, and I will make him a great nation.
Abraham obeyed the Lord in circumcising both himself and Ishmael, along with  all the men in his household.

 A SON PROMISED TO ABRAHAM 
The Lord appeared to Abraham .As he lifted up his eyes and looked , and lo, three men stood by him. And he saw them ,he ran to men them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said,

 My Lord, if now I have found favour in your sight, please do not pass by my home without stopping . I am here to serve you. Let a little water ,please, be fetched , and washed your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will fetch a morsel of bread. It will give you strength to continue your journey> You have honored me by coming to my home, so let me serve you.
And they accepted Abraham's hospitality .Abraham prepared food for them . And they did eat .

And the Lord told Abraham,
 Sarah your wife shall have a son.

And Sarah heard it in the tent of the door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well sticken in age. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying,

After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure ? And besides , my husband is old too.

And the Lord said unto Abraham,

 Wherefore did Sarah , saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old ?

Is any thing too hard for the Lord ? At the time appointed I will return unto you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

The Lord has made the heavens and the earth by His great power . There is nothing too hard for the Lord.

With God all things are possible.
And , as Sarah found it, all things are possible to those who believe.

 All that believe in Christ are justified from all things.(Acts 13:39)
Christ is the Author and Finisher of faith. With faith it is impossible to please God. The one thing that hinders God is unbelief. Sarah must believe that God will provide her with a son to save the world. And Abraham must believe God before the child of promise could be born. They had our Lord's faith.

DESTRUCTION OF SODOM AND GORMORRAH
 

The Lord told Abraham that He and the angels had come down to the earth to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah , because their sin was very grievous.

Abraham begged the Lord to spare the cities because he thought that there were righteous people there. God replied that if He could find just ten righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, He would not destroy the cities.

Although God did spare Lot and his family, there were no other righteous people found in the two cities.
Lot's wife , whose heart was still in Sodom , disobeyed the Lord. she looked back toward the city and became a pillar of salt.

Lot and his family were corrupted with the loose morals of Sodom and Gormorrah. The fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. The prayer of a good person has powerful effect. Lot and his family were saved because Abraham's intercessory prayer.   
                                    
 
SEPARATION FROM HAGAR AND ISHMAEL

Hagar and Ishmael were sent away because they hindered the development of  Abraham's noblest life of faith. They represents man's effort and man's works of trying to get salvation. Man's works can not save you.(Gen 21:9-21)

For by grace re you saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.
Hagar was a slave. Hagar and Ishmael represents bondage and slavery. Man's very best is slavery. Man's very best is slavery, because man can never free himself by his own efforts and works. The Lord Jesus Christ is the way, he truth and the Life. The Lord Jesus is the only way to freedom. Christ is the only way to salvation. 

Sarah , the free woman, represents the covenant of free grace. She is part of God's plan of salvation for mankind.

Hagar and Ishmael were separated from Abraham so that Abraham would not depend on man's own method of trying to get salvation. Abraham was separated from his own methods of securing the promises of God. He now had to trust God.
 ABRAHAM'S DEVOTION TO GOD
 
Abraham's devotion to God faced it crucial test.
Abraham waited patiently so many years for the birth of his son , Isaac. And Abraham loved his son dearly . Isaac was the heir of promise, the laughter of his life. Isaac was God's gift to Abraham. And God did put Abraham to test, and said to Abraham,

 Take now your son , your only son Isaac, whom you love, and get you into the land of Moriah ; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you of.(Gen 22:2)
God tests us so that He may help us develop spiritually .Trials are opportunities for us to bring out the special qualities of character of Christ in us. Because Abraham loved God,
 he had done much. At whatever cost 
Abraham had put God first. 
Abraham was glad to sacrifice all for God.

The true test of our love is how much we are prepared to do for the one whom we say to love.
Jesus said,

 He who has my commandments
 and keeps them, he it is that loves me.(John 14:15)

And now Abraham was asked to sacrifice his own son , Isaac. It was a tremendous test of his faith. Abraham had faith in the Lord. Abraham had faith in the Lord to do the righteous thing. Abraham had faith in the Lord to save his son because he believed in God to fulfill His promise.

Abraham   accounted that God is able to raise him up , even from the dead>(Hebrew 11:19)
Abraham was sure that God would do just what He had promised . Abraham was sure hat God would keep His word. IT was not for Abraham to reason how God would keep His promise, but it was simply for Abraham to obey God. Never rely on what you think you know. Trust in he Lord in everything you do and He will show you the right way. Abraham had cling to the promises of God because he had faith in God.

God is as good as His word.

God and Abraham were friends in a common  situation up to a certain point. Abraham gave his son Isaac but God gave him back his son.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so tat whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. How shall He not with Him also freely give us all things>(Romans 8:32)
Abraham was sure that God will provide. Abraham trusted in the Lord completely. The Lord Jesus Christ said,

 He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son and daughter more than me' and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Matt 10:37-38)
Abraham loved the Lord more than anyone or anything.
And God provided Abraham the lamb for sacrifice. Abraham offered the lamb  instead of his son. 

THE SPIRIT OF GOD WORKING IN ABRAHAM'S LIFE
God wants not great men but humble common folks who will dare to prove the greatness of their God.
Before God called Abraham, he was a pagan. Abraham was not yet circumcised. He was not yet a Jew. He was still a Gentile. It was not by his own human effort that Abraham became what he is. Abraham did not do it by his own efforts and works, God did it. God raised up Abraham to be what he is.

 Not by might, or by power but by my Spirit>  Thus says the Lord.

Man's very best comes far short of God's lowest and least requirements. Man can never save himself by his efforts. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can save us.
 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life> No man can come unto the Father but by he Lord Jesus Christ.

 Abraham was an ordinary person just like you and I . God's Word clearly tells us that Abraham's mighty works were not the result of some rare combination of personal qualities, but were the result of his faith in God. 
There are only two ways. God's way to life. And the devil's way to death and destruction.  Abraham choose God's way to life.

Many people make a mistake in thinking that the mighty people of God have extraordinary qualities of courage, and strength of body and soul. These people of God were not any different from the ordinary folks , except in their faith. what lift them above the ordinary people is that they have strong faith in God. They are obedient to God's call. But they did not do these mighty works with human strength. It was God who did all these wonderful works through them who had faith in God.
The message that Abraham is saying to us is,

 God did it.

Abraham did it not by might nor by power, but by the Holy Spirit. Abraham has faith in the Lord. Abraham believed God. By faith Abraham , when he was called to go out into a place which he should receive an inheritance, obeyed God. And he went out , not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as a foreigner in the land of promise. He lived in tabernacles as did Isaac and Jacob, who received the same promise from God. For Abraham was waiting for a city which has everlasting foundations whose maker and builder was God. Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered a child when she was past age, because judged Him faithful who had promised. 

Abraham trusted God o keep His promise. Through Abraham was practically dead of old age, from this one man came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky . There are as many as the numberless grains of sand on the seashore. 

Abraham died in faith, not having received the promise, but having seen them afar off and was persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that he was a pilgrim and stranger on the earth.

Abraham made it clear that he was looking for a real home in heaven. He did not keep thinking about the country he had left behind. If he had wanted to, Abraham could have gone back to the things of this world . But Abraham did not wish to fail God. He did not want to go back to the things of the world. He was seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And now God is now ashamed to be called his God. For God has prepared Abraham a heavenly city with everlasting foundation. It is the same city for us , if we have the faith in the Lord Jesus.

Faith works by love. Abraham abides in the Lord. And the Lord abides in Abraham.

To faith he added virtue. And to virtue Abraham added knowledge. And to his knowledge Abraham added temperance or self-control. To self-control Abraham added patience. And to patience he added 
godliness. And to godliness Abraham added brotherly kindness. And to brotherly kindness he add love. And to love he added charity.

For if these things be in you , and abound, they will make you so that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

To faith add virtue. It is only in the righteousness of God that faith is possible. God's righteousness is revealed through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the center of all righteousness. In Christ dwells the fullness of faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, love, charity that are given through the Holy Spirit> Abraham seek first the kingdom of God and the righteousness of God. Christ's faith makes us right with God. It is not by our faith hat we are justified; but it is by the faith of Christ that we are justified in the sight of God.

To virtue  the believer is urged to add knowledge. We are to grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
To knowledge we are to add self-control. Abraham was to have self-control because his thoughts and actions were under the control of the Spirit of God.

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rule his own spirit is better than he who capture a city.(Proverbs 16:32)

Those who live according to their sinful nature have their minds set on what nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Holy Spirit have their mind set on what the Holy Spirit desires.(Romans 8:5)

Self-control is very important. every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to win a prize that will not last. But we, believers, do it for a prize that will last forever. Run in such a way as to win the everlasting prize. That why I must run straight for the finish line. I must harden our body with exercise . I must bring my body under complete control to keep myself from being disqualified after having call others to the contest.

 I therefore so run , not as uncertainly. So I fight, not as one that beats the air. But I keep under my body, and bring my body into subjection, lest by any means , when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.(1 Cor 9:26-27)

According as His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. besides this , giving all diligence , add to your faith virtue; and to virtue , knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, add patience3; and to your patience , add godliness. And add to godliness add brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness add love. For if these things be in you , and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.