Three Sides To A Man Named Abraham

Introduction: The Bible is filled with people who, if we examine their lives carefully, can be fantastic examples of faith and Christian characters for all believers. Abraham, the Father of Faith, is just one of these people.

As we examine the life of Abraham, we can and will see that all of us have some things in common with faithful Abraham. Everyone in this room, just like Abraham, wears many different hats. For instance, I am a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a Pastor, a friend, among many other things.

This passage reveal three sides of the life of this man named Abraham. In this passage, he is visited personally by the Lord. During this visit, we are given a glimpse at three sides of this great man’s life. As Abraham is revealed to us here, we see some characteristics in his life that need to be seen in every life in this room. For a few minutes, I want to look into this personal encounter between the Lord and Abraham. I want to preach to you about THREE SIDES OF A MAN NAMED ABRAHAM. Let us examine our lives so we may be able to determine whether or not we are made of the same stuff as this great man of faith was.

I. The ministry of a servant (Vs. 1-8)

A. The quickness of his ministry.

1. Genesis 18:1-6 reads, (KJV) “1And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3And said, My LORD, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. 6And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.” (NASB) “1Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, 3and said, "My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by. 4"Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; 5and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant." And they said, "So do, as you have said." 6So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes."” (AMP) “1NOW THE Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks or terebinths of Mamre; as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day, 2He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood at a little distance from him. He ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the ground 3And said, My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant, I beg of you. 4Let a little water be brought, and you may wash your feet and recline and rest yourselves under the tree. 5And I will bring a morsel (mouthful) of bread to refresh and sustain your hearts before you go on further--for that is why you have come to your servant. And they replied, Do as you have said. 6So Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah and said, Quickly get ready three measures of fine meal, knead it, and bake cakes.” (NLT) “1The LORD appeared again to Abraham while he was camped near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day about noon, as Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent, 2he suddenly noticed three men standing nearby. He got up and ran to meet them, welcoming them by bowing low to the ground. 3"My lord," he said, "if it pleases you, stop here for a while. 4Rest in the shade of this tree while my servants get some water to wash your feet. 5Let me prepare some food to refresh you. Please stay awhile before continuing on your journey." "All right," they said. "Do as you have said." 6So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, "Quick! Get three measures of your best flour, and bake some bread."