Fit For Service (Part 4b -Abraham)

This is week five in our study on being fit for service. Today we will continue looking at the life of Abraham to see what made him fit for service and usable by God.  

You will remember that last week we looked at the life of Abraham and discovered that he had active faith in God, he demonstrated instant obedience, and he was unselfish. In this lesson we will look at three more characteristics that made Abraham usable by God. 

The fourth trait we see in Abraham is that he lived a life of compassion. 

Genesis 18:20-22, So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.” The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. (NLT) 

In this passage we see that the Lord told Abraham that he was going to judge Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family were living in Sodom at that time. Abraham, full of compassion, plead with God to preserve the cities for the sake of the righteous in them.  

Genesis 18:23-26, Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked?  Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” 

And the Lord replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.” (NLT) 

Abraham continued his petitioning of God until he got down to a total of 10 righteous people. Genesis 18:32, Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?” 

And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.” (NLT)  

We know that ultimately God could not find even 10 righteous people in Sodom or Gomorrah and the cities were destroyed by fire and brimstone. However, because of God’s love for Abraham and his intercession, the angels brought Lot and his family safely out of the city before it was destroyed.  

God has called all of us to intercession on behalf of those around us. Our intercession must flow from a heart of compassion. Some are called to the ministry of intercession; however, we are all called to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). When we see someone caught in sin or struggling with various trials we are called to stand in the gap. The gap is the space between what is and what should be.  

 

WHAT IS   (Our current situations, struggles, and bondages)

GAP

WHAT SHOULD BE   (God’s desire for our life, freedom, abundance)

 

In Ezekiel 22:30 we read, I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for [the sake of] the land, that I would not destroy it, but I found no one [not even one]. (AMP) 

What a sad statement. God found no one to stand in the gap on behalf of His people. May God always find us willing to stand in the gap! 

Fifth, Abraham was courageous.  

Genesis 14:14-16, When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan. There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives. (NLT) 

Before the destruction of Sodom, war broke out in the land. Lot and his family along with many others were taken captive by the enemy. Upon hearing that Lot had been taken captive, Abraham set out with the men from his household who could fight. They overtook the enemy armies and rescued all who had been carried off.  

Abraham could have stayed home and thought, “This is not my battle, why risk my life and the lives of my men?” However, he chose to go with courageous determination to fight for those whom he loved.  

God has called us to fight for and with those He loves, His bride. This ties into standing in the gap. We must stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Christ and fight. God had given us the authority to stand against the enemy. The enemy has already been defeated through the death and resurrection of Christ. Our job then is to know who we are in Christ and who He is in us, take our stand and not back down. We must use the Word to silence the lies of the enemy and not give him any place in our life. We must lock arms (through prayer, encouragement, and exhortation) with those who are battling with the enemy and not back down until they find freedom!!  

Isaiah 61:1, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me 
to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, 
to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. (MEV) 

Sixth, Abraham was hospitable. 

Websters 1828 dictionary defines hospitable as: Receiving and entertaining strangers, with kindness and without reward; kind to strangers and guests; disposed to treat guests with generous kindness.  

In Genesis 18 we read the account of three men visiting Abraham’s camp in Mamre. Abraham had been sitting outside his tent and saw the men approaching. Getting up he bowed before them. He offered them water to wash their feet, a cool place to rest, and a meal.  

There is no indication that Abraham knew who these men were before he invited then to rest and eat. He was acting out of a hospitable heart. He was using what God had blessed him with to bless others. One of the three was the Lord. Some translations say Angel of the Lord, either way this was what Bible Scholars call a Christophany, an appearance of Jesus before his came as a man.  

Christian hospitality, however, is not entertaining. It is not the addition of some religion to entertaining. Hospitality has totally different motives, means, and ends, largely because it is not about us. Biblical hospitality is about honoring God by obeying His command to “contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Rom. 12:13). It is about loving other Christians.i 

In the New Testament, the Greek word translated “hospitality” literally means “love of strangers.” Hospitality is a virtue that is both commanded and commended throughout Scripture. In the Old Testament, it was specifically commanded by God: “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt” (Leviticus 19:33-34, emphasis added).ii 

Christian hospitality then is, loving both believers and unbelievers, friends as well as strangers. It is not specifically about the meal you share with them, but more about loving and meeting their needs. Hospitality includes the idea of sharing Christ with the lost and broken in an environment of love and acceptance. When we invite someone into our home with the intention of blessing them, meeting their needs, and ministering to their hearts, with no thought of receiving anything in return, we are demonstrating hospitality.  

Abraham did just this. He took three men, who obviously were traveling “light”, into his home to meet their needs. In the area in which he lived, there were no Cracker Barrels or McDonalds. There were no rest areas or Holiday Inns. Anyone traveling through without their own caravan and provision would be hard pressed to find a place to rest or eat. Abraham did not show them hospitality for a reward, he did it because he understood the principle we find in God’s word, John 3:17-18, If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (NIV) 

In conclusion, in this lesson we learned that Abraham lived a life of compassion, he was courageous, and hospitable. His life is an example of putting your faith into action. May we, like Abraham, walk out our faith in our daily lives! 

 Works Cited:

i https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/hospitality 

ii https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-hospitality.html