MEMORY VERSE
Romans 3:23-25
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Due to the fall of man, God had an immediate plan of redemption through his Son (Genesis 3:15). God had a plan for Jesus to be born in one of the tribes of Israel (Judah) to redeem man, and God was going to use Abraham to bring that to pass. God would later choose Abraham to form a nation known today as the Israelites or the Jews (Genesis 12:1-3). Abraham was an idolater when God first met him. Abraham believed on God and God saved him (Romans 4:1-3). Paul uses Abraham as our example of how one can be justified by faith (Romans 4:23-25).
The Fall of Man In The Garden of Eden
- Prior to the fall, God blessed Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply.
- The Word (Jesus) was also there in the Garden of Eden in the beginning (John 1:1-3)
- Adam sinned causing the fall of man to all humanity (Romans 5:12)
- Just as soon as Adam sinned, God was working on a plan to restore man (Genesis 3:15)
- If you are in God’s plan and you sin or make a mistake, God has set up a plan to correct your situation that you caused.
- God weighs your situation to determine if you were deceived.
- God does this to determine how he is going to fix your situation.
- We sometimes ask and blame God why is he taking so long to fix our situation when we were the cause of it.
- Afterwards, you will be able to look back and see God’s grace and mercy.
- If you don’t think you are in God’s plan, perhaps you need to draw nigh to God (James 4:7-8)
- As a result of the fall, God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:22-24)
Why Did God Choose Abraham?
- God saw great wickedness on the earth prior to Noah’s flood (Genesis 6:5)
- Wickedness continued when people tried to build the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9)
- Almost the whole world at that time worshipped idol gods.
- God was looking for a faithful person to start a nation.
- God had to make a choice and chose Abraham as his prime example (Genesis 12:1-3)
- God chose Abraham to be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5)
- God chose Abraham to be the lineage that Christ would come through (Matthew 1:1)
- God knew that Abraham would believe in Him and do what he said.
- God knew Abraham would get out of his country and convince others to follow him.
God Meets Abraham
- Abraham was like us when God first called us.
- He was born in sin and shapened in iniquity (Psalm 51:5)
- He was an idolater (Joshua 24:2)
- God appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia (Genesis 12:1)
- In order for Abraham to trust God, he had to ask God who he was and where He came from.
- Abraham knew about the city because he was looking for the city (Heaven) (Hebrews 11:10)
- After Abraham met God, Abraham believed and got out of his country (Haran).
- Two places that Abraham moved from prior to Canaan were:
- Ur, which is modern day Southern Iraq (Genesis 11:31)
- Haran, which is modern day Turkey (Genesis 12:4)
- It was easy for Abraham to tell his followers who God was because Abraham was fully persuaded to go into this new land, and so were his followers because they believed and followed Abraham into this land (Genesis 12:5)
How Do You Become Justified By Faith or Saved By Faith?
- Today, some preachers mean well by saying:
- Accept Christ as your personal Savior and make Jesus the Lord of your life.
- This term is often used, but it is not a scripture in the Bible.
- Repeat the prayer after me and now you are saved.
- Paul says that one is justified by faith, or is saved by first believing in God (Romans 4:3)
- Believing that God is not a spirit (imaginary).
- If one thinks that God is imaginary, then they will think that heaven and their salvation are imaginary.
- God is a spirit being. He has a body. God is real (Genesis 1:26, etc.)
- Paul says that one is saved by believing on God’s word.
- Believe that God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 4:25; 10:9)
- If you don’t believe in the resurrection, you are yet in your sins (I Corinthians 15:17)
- John says that we are saved by believing that Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-14)
- A person does not get saved by just speaking in tongues.
- You must first believe. If you truly believe, you will receive the sign of speaking in tongues.
- This gift was added to the church after the day of Pentecost (Acts 2)
- You can be full of the Holy Ghost (Acts 6:5)
- The Holy Ghost will keep you from making the same mistakes.
- Interchangeable Terms:
- Justified by faith, salvation, saved and born again.
- All these terms are interchangeable.
- Example: If you have been born again, you have been justified by faith.
Abraham Prospers in the New Land That God Gave to Him
- As Abraham went from place to place, he was also gaining believers (Romans 4:21)
- If you want people to follow you, you must be fully persuaded like Abraham.
- The first thing that Abraham does is build an altar to worship God.
- Why? To call on the Lord in prayer on a regular basis (Genesis 12:7)
- Also, because the Canaanites are in this land worshipping idols (Genesis 12:6)
- He knew his people needed a place to pray to prevent them from backsliding.
- Sarah was a praying woman.
- This would help establish Abraham and his people in this land.
- You cannot stay saved without coming to church (Hebrews 10:25)
- Because Abraham believed, God blessed him with more than he originally had.
Abraham Had the Power and Gifts of the Spirit
- Abraham had the Holy Ghost (Genesis 15:6)
- God gives out spiritual blessings to the one who is steadfast.
- Steadfast means you have your mind made up and that you will not waver.
- Abraham was a praying man, and God would hear and answer his prayers.
- Abraham was a prophet and had the gift of healing (Genesis 20:7, 20:17)
- If you have been given a ministry, the gifts of the Spirit should be a part of your ministry.
- Your gift in your ministry will work like a precious stone (Proverbs 17:8)
- Wherever your gift (precious stone) turns, it prospers (Proverbs 17:8)
- Improperly interpreting God’s word will hinder you from working in the gifts of the Spirit.
Reading Assignment
- Read the rest of Abraham’s experiences and compare them with your experiences.
- Study the appearances that God made to Abraham (Genesis 12-22)
- Just like God and Jesus appearing, they will descend when the trumpet sounds and so shall we ever be with the Lord (I Thessalonians 4:16)
- Study Romans 5 and 6.
