Lessons From The Life Of Abraham (2–5)

(1) We have people who are up to their eyeballs in debt because they are constantly buying things they can’t afford.

Illus: A businessman is in a great deal of trouble financially because he kept buying things when he should not have. He even considered suicide, but he decided before he would do this he would go see the priest.

The priest said "Here's what I want you to do: Put a beach chair and your Bible in your car and drive down to the beach. Take the chair and the Bible to the water's edge, sit down in the beach chair, and put the Bible in your lap. Open the Bible. The wind will riffle the pages, but finally the open Bible will come to rest on a page. Look down at the page and read the first thing you see. That will be your answer. That will tell you what to do."

A year later, the businessman goes back to the priest and brings his wife and children with him. The man is in a new custom-tailored suit, his wife in a mink coat. The businessman pulls an envelope stuffed with money out of his pocket, and gives it to the priest as a donation as thanks for his advice.

The priest recognizes the man, and of course he is curious. "You did as I suggested?" he asks.

"Absolutely," the businessman replies.

• "You went to the beach?"

• "Absolutely."

• "You sat in a beach chair with the Bible in your lap?"

• "Absolutely."

• "You let the pages riffle until they stopped?"

• "Absolutely."

• "And what were the first words you saw?"

• "Chapter 11."

We have people today filing for bankruptcy (chapter 11) in record numbers because they do not know when to stop buying.

(2) We have people today who love the things of this world so much that they are willing to do almost anything to acquire them.

Illus: These people remind me of fellow who goes over to his friend’s house. The friend’s very attractive girlfriend answered the doorbell. He said, "Hi, is Tony home?" She said, "No he went to the store." He said, "Well, do you mind if I wait?" She said, "No come in." They sit down and this ugly fellow says, "You know Nora, I have a confession to make. I know I am the ugliest fellow in town and you are the most attractive woman in town. I have never told anyone this, but I have always wanted to kiss the prettiest woman in town.”

He immediately sees the frown on her face, and he says “I am prepared to give you two hundred dollars if you will let me kiss you.”

Nora thinks about this for a second and she begins to think that two hundreds dollars will buy her that pretty coat she so desperately wants.

Finally, she agrees to let him kiss her. She closes her eyes and with a frown on her face she puckers up and he plants one on her.

When the kiss is completed, she holds her hand out for the two hundred dollars.

He gives her the two hundred and he says he can’t wait any longer for Tony, and he goes home.

A while later Tony arrives home and Nora says, "Your ugly friend Chris came over here today to see you!"

Tony thinks about this for a second and says "Well, did he drop off the 200 bucks he owes me?"

We live in a materialistic society, and people will do almost anything to get what this world has to offer.

One reason that men in the Old Testament, like Abraham, are different from believers today is because they saw life from a different perspective.

For example, Abraham saw himself as a PILGRIM PASSING THROUGH THIS LIFE!

He lived in the heathen land of Ur, and when God saved him and commanded him to LEAVE EVERYTHING AND FOLLOW HIM, God promised him three things:

• He would give him a new nation

• He would give him a new name

• He would bless those who blessed Him and curse those who cursed him

As Abraham set out to find the land of Canaan, he discovered there are some difficult things we have to face.

Some Neo-Evangelicals teach a “Pie-in-the-sky” kind of salvation. They tell a lost person that if they will accept the Lord:

• They will not have any more problems

• They will live happily ever after

Listen, you can tell a lost person that but it is not the truth. We have to be truthful in our witnessing.

When you tell someone that they can expect some hard times, it may SOUND STRANGE, but it is the truth!

Illus: A lawyer named Strange died, and his friend asked the tombstone maker to inscribe on his tombstone, "Here lies Strange, an honest man, and a lawyer."