GENESIS CHAPTER 18: ABRAHAM'S 

SPECIAL GUEST

 

  Introduction: Abraham talks with the Lord about the length of his mercy.

And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2. And 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, 3. And said. “My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4. Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; 5. And 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.” 6. And 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.” 7. And Abraham ran unto the heard, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. 8. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. 

 Abraham showed the Lord and his angles hospitality. How he must have been so blessed to serve the Lord in this manner.

9. And they said unto him, “Where is Sarah thy wife:” And he said, “Behold, in the tent.” 10. And he said, “I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.” And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 11. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also:” 13. And the Lord said unto Abraham. “Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old:” 14. Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”  15. Then Sarah denied, saying “I laughed not;” for she was afraid. And he said, “Nay; but thou didst laugh.”

 Though Sarah lied to the Lord, I like to think that when He says, "Nay; but thou didst laugh" that He said it in a way that He was not angry with Sarah. But because of her age she was tickled at the thought that she might have a child. Our Lord is a loving God and He knows our hearts and He knew that Sarah was afraid that He had heard what she had said to herself. God knows what is in all our hearts and inner most thoughts

16. And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17. And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18. Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgement; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” 

 20. And the Lord said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21. I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.” 22. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.

23. And Abraham drew near, and said, “Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24. Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25. That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” 26.  And the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” 27. And Abraham

answered and said, “Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28. Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five?” And He said, “If I find there forty and five I will not destroy it.”

 Abraham must be concerned about Lot and his family. So he continued to press the Lord about His intentions. But the Lord was patient with Abraham.

29. And he spake unto him yet again, and said, “Peradventure there shall be forty found there.” And He said, “I will not do it for forty’s sake.” 30. And he said unto him, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there,” And He said, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31. And he said, “Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there.” And He said, “I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake”. 32. And he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there.” And He said, " I will not destroy it for ten’s sake” 33. And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place. 

 Surly Abraham must have known the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah and prayed for the people there, especially Lot and his family. Abraham was a wise man and he knew that God's power is great and mighty, but God's will was to destroy the wickedness of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah was described as very grievous to the Lord and the cry of their wickedness was very great to the point that God had decided to destroy it. 

 Philippians 4:13

The Road to Salvation (KJV)

Romans 3: 23, 24 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 5:8 “But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 3:15 “For God so loved the world That He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

1 John 4:9”In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.”

John 6: 47, 48 “Verily, verily, I say unto you He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.  I am that bread of life.”

Romans 10:9 – 14 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed: and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard: and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

If you are not saved, I pray you will accept Christ as your Savior to day. We are not promised another minute on this earth. We are but on a journey, passing though this world to the next, and you have a choice of where you will spend eternity. I pray you choose to spend it in Heaven with the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit and all those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and paid our sin debt for us. 

Seek out a Bible preaching church in your area, one where God word is preached and  is the center of their service, study and devotion.