Faith of Abraham - Part 10

Genesis 20:1-18

Last week we saw the tragic results of Lot's wasted life in the world. Tonight we will see the journey of Abraham continue, but not without its problems. When we last saw Abraham he was in fellowship with God interceding on behalf of his nephew.

This chapter opens with the statement that Abraham continued his journey. However, in verse two we find that he falls back to his scheming ways and resorts to deception to protect himself from harm. If we did not know who Abraham was, and we would read this chapter for the first time, we certainly would not think that this would be the man God would choose to build a great nation and bless all the people of the world!

This is a reminder of the truth of God's Word. The Bible tells us exactly the way it is, and when we look at a character we find that God shows us all of the blemishes and flaws. We can learn some things from Abraham's failure about what happens when a believer sins.

I. Believers Do Sin. v1?2

II. When Believers Sin, the Result is Suffering. v3?7

III. Sinning Believers can be Forgiven and Restored.

Perhaps God included this account to help us not become too self-righteous in reading the account of Lot's tragic life. Even a man who was the friend of God can fall. God never defended Abraham's deceptive sin, but He did defend Abraham. God does not reject His children when they sin anymore than a parent rejects their children when they do wrong. Thank God we are justified by faith, and our position in Christ is not determined by our practice on earth.