Bible Lessons on the Life of Abraham

Group Age 3 -5 years old

In this lesson children will learn about

1. The story of father Abraham;
2. The promise of God He made to Abraham;
3. Abraham’s obedience to God, he received his reward.

Read the Bible story:

Genesis 12:1-9 Promises to Abraham

The key concepts that we focused on this lesson are:

 God always keeps His promises.
 Trusting God builds our faith.
 God is happy when we obey Him.
(You can also come up with your own key concepts.)

Bible Verse for Kids

The Bible verse for this lesson is Genesis 12:4
“So Abram departed as the Lord has spoken to him.”
(This Bible verse should be simple enough for your students (ages 3-5) to memorize
after an hour of practice.)

Bible Story Tips

 Read the story “God Calls Abraham” beginning on Chapter 12 of Genesis
from verse 1-9.

 During story, draw attention to the key concepts for this lesson.
 Don't forget to ask questions related to the story, for example, “What did God
ask Abraham to do?”

 Emphasize on what it means to obey God and what it means to have faith.
  Allow children to recall the story and characters in the Bible

Prayer
After a quick recall, say a prayer that is related to the Bible story. You can either
have your children repeat after you or allow them to come up with their own prayer.

Bible Song about Abraham

 "Father Abraham had Many Sons"
 Cast the song from YouTube to the computer screen, so the children can see
the motions on the big screen.

A c tiv itie s
Abraham Coloring Page
(During this activity, remind the children that Abraham was faithful to God).

Bible Lessons on the Life of Abraham

 Group Age 6 – 9 years old

In this lesson children will learn about

1. The story of father Abraham;
2. The promise of God He made to Abraham;
3. Abraham’s obedience to God, he received his reward.

Read the Bible story:

Genesis 12:1-9 Promises to Abraham

The key concepts that we focused on this lesson are:

 God always keeps His promises.
 Trusting God builds our faith.
 God is happy when we obey Him.
(You can also come up with your own key concepts.)

Bible Verse for Kids

The Bible verse for this lesson is Genesis 12:4
“So Abram departed as the Lord has spoken to him.”
(This Bible verse should be simple enough for your students (ages 3-5) to memorize
after an hour of practice.)

Bible Story Tips

 Read the story “God Calls Abraham” beginning on Chapter 12 of Genesis
from verse 1-9.

 During story, draw attention to the key concepts for this lesson.
 Don't forget to ask questions related to the story, for example, “What did God
ask Abraham to do?”

 Emphasize on what it means to obey God and what it means to have faith.
  After the Bible story and discussion session, we stand up and do the

interactive rhyme found in the to the tune of “Father Abraham had Many

Sons”.

Prayer
After the story and rhyme, say a prayer that is related to the Bible story. You can
either have your children repeat after you or allow them to come up with their own
prayer.

Bible Song about Abraham

 "Father Abraham had Many Sons"
 Cast the song from YouTube to the computer screen, so the children can see
the motions on the big screen.

A c tiv ity N o. 1

Promise Land Maze Activity Sheet

Ask the children to help Abraham on his journey to the promised land, using the
“Promised Land Maze Activity.”

Activity No. 2

Pop up Tent (Paper Cut-out Activity)

Let children help Abraham and his family set up their new home!

*During these activities remind the children that Abraham was faithful to God.

Activity No. 3

Obey My Command Bible Game

God wants us to obey His commands and when we are obedient, we are rewarded.
Play a Bible game that teaches the kids to listen and obey while having fun moving!
Instructions: 
Stand facing the children and give them a command, such as, “Jump,” “Spin,”
“Wiggle,” and so on. Between commands say, “Stop”.
(You can think of higher commands but with your supervision).

Happily thank or reward your children if they followed the commands (to the best of
their ability).
 Abraham Bible Story
Group Age 10 – 12 years old

In this lesson children will learn about

1. The life story of Abraham
2. How God called Abraham
3. How Abraham responded God’s call

The Abraham Bible story is really the story of an old old man.
No, Abraham wasn’t an old, old man. He was an old, old, old, old, old man.

We don’t even meet Abraham and learn of his story until one day God plucks a 75
year-old man out of obscurity and asks him to leave his home country.

It’s only from this point forward in his life that we know his story.

Start-up Activity

First, let’s start with a fun game to get the kids moving and excited!
The game is called, How old is too old?

I’m going to describe something and then give you an age. If you think someone is
too old to be doing that then say “too old!”, and if you think the age is about right,
say, “just right!”

Let’s practice/trial round:

Sucking your thumb        Age 25

Answer: “Too old!”

 
Alright, here we go:

Going to 1st grade        Age 44 (too old)

Learning how to spell ‘flower’        Age 4 (just right)
Talking like a baby        Age 23  (too old)
Living with your parents       Age 6  (just right)
Living with your parents      Age 66  (too old)
Going to Work       Age 36  (just right)
 Having a baby        Age 24  (just right)
Having a baby        Age 95  (too old)
Going to College       Age 23  (just right)
Riding in a toy car Age 42  (too old)

Today we are going to talk about one of these…

Remember God told Abram that he would have lots and lots of kids?
God had promised Abram a big family…even though he had ZERO kids and wasn’t
getting any younger!

After that promise Abram, and his wife Sarai, did not have kids. They continued to be
kid-less.

We read their life story in Genesis. There, it talks about God coming to visit…again.
And He makes the same promise. Only this time, He doubles down.

GENESIS 12

The Call of Abram

1The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s

household to the land I will show you.

2“I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

3I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.”

4So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was

seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5He took his wife Sarai, his
nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had

acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

6Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at

Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7The LORD appeared to

Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to

the LORD, who had appeared to him.

8From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with

Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called

on the name of the LORD.

9Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.

Abram in Egypt

10Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live

there for a while because the famine was severe. 11As he was about to enter Egypt,

he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12When the

Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let

you live. 13Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my

life will be spared because of you.”

14When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful

woman. 15And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and

she was taken into his palace. 16He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram

acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants,

and camels.

17But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because

of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to

me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19Why did you say, ‘She is

my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her
and go!” 20Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him

on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®

Only this time He doubles down

You know what it means to double down?

How many of you have ever been playing a game or having a competition and while
you thought you were going to win you just can’t seem to.

Maybe you are racing a friend to see who’s the fastest. You tell your friend that
whoever wins akoy manghugas ug plato!. After the first 2 races you are shocked that
your friend beat you, both times. But you don’t give up, instead, you say…”Ok
whoever wins THIS race akoy manghugas ug buntag ug udto…

You just doubled down. You decided on a prize and now, you just made the prize
even higher.

That’s exactly what God did with Abram.

God comes to visit Abram in Genesis 17 and he retells him that Abram is going to
have a big family, AND then adds another guarantee to the mix.

God adds another guarantee to the promise

He changes Abram, and his wife Sari’s, names.

Why does this matter? Because he changes their names so their names mean they
will have a big family!

Sarai, becomes Sarah. Abram becomes Abraham. And the name Abraham means
“the father of many nations”.

But God promises Abram, now Abraham, once again, that he WILL have a big
family. And He reminds them of this promise by changing his name.

Abraham and Sarah go about their daily lives and a little under 3 months later some
visitors show up at their tent…aka: their house. These aren’t just any visitors…listen
to how Abraham greets them:
 “My Lord, if I have now found favor in your sight,
do not pass by on your Servant.”
Genesis 18:3

Abraham is hosting God!

So he does what would have been expected of him, he runs hurries to prepare them
food. Remember, they didn’t have cars back then, so after all that walking they would
be hungry!

Listen to Abraham’s hurried preparations:

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said,

“Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.
And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf,
gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it.
Genesis 18:6-7

As they sit down to talk, we are told that Sarah, who was inside the tent, not able to
see them, could hear what they were saying.

God tells Abraham what he said only 3 months earlier… “Sarah your wife shall have
a son.”

Sarah head this…and laughed. But not out loud…just to herself. Remember at the
beginning we thought it was funny to think about a 44-year old going to 1st grade!
Well Sarah thought about her 95 year-old self and thought it was funny to think about
having a baby.

Abraham and Sarah were the age of Grandparents. Their days of being a wild young
crazy couple were LONG over. And Sarah knew this. So when she heard talk of her
having a baby…it was ….funny to her.

But the Lord, sitting where He couldn’t see her, or hear her, noticed that she
laughed. And he asked Abraham, “Why is Sarah laughing, Is anything too hard for
the Lord?”

Sarah, in that moment, forgot that God’s promises, however crazy they may seem,
are guaranteed to come true. Even a woman, the age of your grandparents, having a
baby.
God is the great Promise Keeper

God is the great promise keeper. What He promises comes to pass. Sarah, when she
had Isaac probably held the Guinness Book of World Records for the oldest woman to
ever have a baby! Was it because of some scientific miracle? Absolutely not! It was
because God had promised that it would happen.
God keeps His promises…always!

Question and Answer Activity:

Abraham Bible Story: Lesson Review Questions

Why was having a baby a big deal? Because God had told Abraham he would have
a big family, and he didn’t have any kids at the time.

Why did God change Abram’s name? To remind Abram of the Promise He had
made.

Can you spell Abraham?

If you could change your name, what would you want to change it to? Why?

Who came to visit Abraham? 3 strangers, one of whom was the Lord

What did the Lord tell Abraham during His visit? That Sarah would have a baby in
her old age.

What was Sarah’s response? She laughed to herself (not out loud)

And then what happened? The Lord asked Abram why she had laughed, even
though the Lord couldn’t see or hear her

How old were Abraham and Sarah? They were the age of grandparents, in their 90s

Is anything too difficult for God? No

What promises has God made you? Are you trusting Him to keep those promises?
Activity:
Sojourner’s Journey (blind folded)

In this activity, we’ll need:

1 kl Flour
Open space

In an open space, have the students line up. Have them stepped on the flour with
their bare foot. And tell them to follow only the voice of their teacher (you) because
there is also another voice which is not your teacher’s voice (distractor) that will also
mess the command. Let them see first the track (destination) that they should go
from one end to the other end (the promise land). Refresh them about the four
directions (north, south, east and west) Then, have them blind folded.

Teacher’s command: Get out from that place and make 7 steps forward towards
north. When you reach there (7th step) stay there and wait for my next instructions.
(As the sojourners travel from one step to the 7 th step, another voice enters that says
stay right there).

Teacher’s command: Now move towards east 5 steps.

(As the sojourners travel from one step to the 7 th step, another voice enters that says
stay right there).

Teacher’s command: Move towards north 5 steps.

(As the sojourners travel from one step to the 7 th step, another voice enters that says
stay right there).

Teacher’s command: Move towards south 3 steps.

(As the sojourners travel from one step to the 7 th step, another voice enters that says
stay right there).
Teacher’s command: Move towards north 7 steps.
(As the sojourners travel from one step to the 7 th step, another voice enters that says
stay right there).

By this time, the sojourners have reached their destination, the promise land. Instruct
the sojourner to remove their blind fold and have them look the steps they made to
reach where they are now.

Reflection:
Ask the students about the significance of the activity. Connect their answers to the
lessons we learned from Abraham. Then, relate their reflections by these Bible
verse:

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His
hand.
Psalm 37:23 – 24

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all
your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5 – 6
 Abraham Bible Story
Group Age JHS

God Calls Abram

In this lesson students will learn about

1. The life story of Abraham
2. How God called Abraham
3. How Abraham responded God’s call

Scripture Reference: Genesis 12:1-9

Suggested Emphasis or Theme: We should have living faith, the kind that
involves both trust and action.

Memory Verse:  “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is

dead.” James 2:17 (NIV)

Story Overview:
God chose one man, Abram, to be the beginning of a whole new nation
that would be called God’s people. He told Abram to leave his home and
his relatives and begin travelling. Abram took his wife, Sarai, and his
nephew, Lot and left his home and began to travel and live in tents. The
Lord also told Abram that his name would be great and that the whole
world would be blessed through this new nation. Abram believed God and
had living faith—the kind of faith that proves it is real by doing actions.
Background Study:
God wanted to bless all the families and nations of the earth and He chose
to accomplish His purposes through one man, Abram.  Abram was far
from perfect but he was a man with great faith who was willing to act on
that faith and blindly go when God told him to “go”.  Years earlier men had
infamously (well known for being bad) tried to make a “name for
themselves” (Genesis 11:4) by attempting to build the Tower of Babel.  But
this was different.  Now it was God who promised to make a great nation
from this man with a barren wife saying, “I will make your name great.”
(Genesis 12:2)

To better understand Abram and his family read Genesis 11:27-32.  Abram

was born in the large and advanced city of Ur of the Chaldees in the area
of modern-day Iraq.  In that city Abram would have experienced the
modern conveniences of the day including culture, marketplaces, libraries
along with the general wealth of that ancient city.

This was left behind when Abram’s father Terah decided to move the
family to Canaan.  For whatever reason, they stopped and settled
in Haran which is located in what is now southeastern Turkey.  Years later
it was in Haran that God told the now 75 year old Abram to leave
everything he knew and go.  Abram’s faith is revealed in the fact that he
was not even told where he would be going before he left.  Read more
about Abram’s faith in Hebrews 11:8.

“Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of

what we cannot see.”   Hebrews 11:1   
(Contemporary English Version)

God promised Abram that he would be a blessing.  All the families on the
earth would be blessed because God would:

 Make a Great Nation of him.

 Bless him.
 And make his name great.
 Bless those that blessed him.
 Curse those who dishonoured him.

When he left Abram took his barren wife, Sarai, his nephew, Lot, as well as
the possessions and people he had acquired during his time in Haran.

The land of Canaan was already inhabited but God promised that this land
would someday belong to Abram’s offspring.  While traveling through
Canaan Abram stopped and worshiped at Shechem and Bethel.  These
would later become well known in the story of God’s people.   Because of
a famine Abram and Sarai will make their way down to Egypt before
returning to Canaan.  Their sojourn in Egypt reveals flaws in Abram’s
character yet God continues to use his faith to accomplish his bigger
purposes.   Later in Abram’s life God will say the following to him:

“I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous

as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your
descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,
and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,
because you have obeyed me.” Genesis 22:17-18, NIV

Way to Introduce the Story:

Bring some sand to class today. Use a magnifying glass to see the
individual grains of sand. Have the children count out ten grains of sand.
Then have them count out twenty or any other number. Have fund
estimating the number of grains of sands in a teaspoon, cup, bucket, etc.
“Did you know that God once told a man that he would have so many
children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on that their number
would be greater than the grains of sand on entire seashore? That man’s
name was Abram and we are going to be learning about him today.

The Story:
Once there was a man named Abram who loved God very much and had
faith in Him. Abram and his wife, Sarai lived in the city of Haran. Many of
Abram’s relatives also lived in this city.  Sadly, Abram and Sarai could not
have children.  It must have been sad for them to think about how they
would never have grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  But this did not
stop Abram from having faith in God.

God loved Abram and Sarai but God also loved all of the other families in
the world.  So God made a plan to bless everyone.  His plan was that He
would use Abram and Sarai to begin a family that would become very very
big.  Their family would be so big that it would be a nation.  This nation
would help the world.  Everyone in the world would someday be blessed
through Abram’s family.
So one day God told Abram to leave his country and his relatives and to go
to a new land that he would show him. God did not say where the new
land was. He just told Abram to go and that He would show him later.

Faith means believing something to be true even if you can’t see it.  Abram
had faith in God even though he could not see Him.  In the Bible book of
James we read, “If faith does nothing, then that faith is dead.” James
2:17.  Some people might say that they have faith in God but be too afraid
or disobedient to obey Him.  That kind of faith is like a dead faith.

But Abram had a living faith.  He trusted in God and was willing to do what
He said.  Abram and his wife, Sarai, began packing up everything they
owned.   Abram’s nephew, Lot, and all of Abram’s servants and helpers
also joined them.

Everyone would have been very busy for many days.  They would have
packed up all their things, loaded the big, heavy objects onto their camels.
Their servants and helpers would have gathered all of Abram’s sheep and
cows and donkeys for the trip.   Finally everything would have been ready!
Abram and his relatives left their home country forever.  Now they would
live in tents and travel around wherever God told them to go.

In the land of Canaan God told Abram to have a good look around.  Other
people lived there but someday Abram’s children and grandchildren
would own this land.  They stopped in a placed called Shechem so that
Abram could build an altar of stones and worship God.  Later they
stopped in a place called Bethel and did the same thing.

Later they would go to other places, like Egypt.  Abram was not a perfect
man who did the right thing every single time but he continued to have a
living faith in God.  And God kept his promises to Abram and protected
him.  God had a special plan for Abram.

And remember how Abram and Sarai had no children?  God promised that
that would change someday.  God wanted Abram to have a family that
would bring blessing to everyone.  God would start a great nation from
Abram.
In the future God would say to Abram,  “I will surely bless you and make
your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the
seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,
and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you
have obeyed me.”
top

Ways to Tell the Story:

This story can be told using a variety of methods.  Always remain true to
the facts found in the Bible but help children connect to its meaning by
using drama, visual aids, voice inflection, student interaction and/or
emotion.

Review Questions:
This time encourage the students to interact with the teacher based on these
questions and answer

1. Who was Abram’s wife? Sarai

2. Where did Abram live when God told him to go to a new land? Haran
3. How many descendants did God say that Abram would have? As
numerous as the stars in the sky and grains of sand on the sea-
shore.
4. Did Abram know where he was going when God told him to leave
his home country? No
5. If faith does nothing, what kind of faith is it? Dead
6. Quote “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is
dead.” James 2:17 (NIV)

Song Suggestions:
Please refer to YT about the tune of these songs:

 Three Wandering Jews Song

 My God is So Big Song
 Father Abraham Song
Learning Activities and Crafts:
Activities:

 Use the “Post-it In Your Heart” method to guide the children in

memorizing James 2:17.
 List all of the things a person has to do before they move. Talk about
how much work Abram and Sarai had to do to obey God.
 If you have extra time, ask the students to act out the story. Chairs
placed in three areas of the room may represent the city of Haran
and the new land. Students may pack imaginary tents and
belongings, load them on imaginary camels, and travel to each
place. Ask them why they are moving. (They are obeying God’s call)
 Write situations on cards. Let the children take turns acting out the
situations. They can choose to have “dead faith” or “living faith” as
they act out the situation. The other children can guess which kind
of faith the child has. [Example: Read out this situation: “Tim says
that he has faith in God. God says to help people. Tim’s neighbour is
sick and cannot collect the garbage.” The child chooses to act out
the situation showing either living faith (collecting the garbage) or
dead faith (doing nothing for the neighbour).
 Pack bags for a trip. Younger children can talk about what they
would take on a vacation.
 Memorize today’s memory verse. 
 Tell the children to pretend that their parents told the family to pack
their bags because they were going to go on a fun vacation. The
parents would not say where they were going to go. How would you
know what to prepare for? Beach, mountains, skiing, camping, scuba
diving? Abraham did not know where he was going.
 Abraham Bible Story
Group Age SHS

In this lesson students will learn about

1. The life story of Abraham
2. How Abraham responded God’s call
3. How faith and obedience always go together

5 Lessons We Can Learn from

Abraham

The dramatic story of God testing Abraham’s faith is ripe with lessons we can
apply to our lives. Those lessons are easy to miss because the premise of the
story is so compelling.

Let’s hit rewind and see what God can teach us. We pick up the story
in Genesis 22:2:

“Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love— Isaac—
and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a
mountain I will show you.’”

Stop! Hold on a second. I’m not one to question God, but I’m pretty sure I
would have responded with something like, “Ha ha ha. Good one God. It
sounded like you said you wanted me to sacrifice ‘Isaac.’ That’s hilarious.
You’re too much. But for real, how many goats? One? Two? Twelve?”

God doesn’t mince words. God knew just how precious Isaac was to Abraham,
having had to wait until he was 100 years old to have him. It would be far less
of a test of Abraham’s faith if the sacrifice didn’t mean much.

LESSON #1: The greater the cost, the greater the sacrifice.

The story continues in verse 3.

“Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took
with him two of his servants and his son Isaac.”

Two things strike me about this. The first is that Abraham had all night and
morning to be terrified about the coming events… and to talk himself out of it.

Ever had a deadline that you dreaded? Root canal. Sending your child off to
college. A firing.

At least with those events, you knew the reason behind them. Abraham was
given no explanation. He was just told to do it, plain and simple.

LESSON #2: Sacrifice doesn’t always come with answers.

Secondly, notice also that verse 3 says, “Early the next morning…” There was
no delay. Not dilly-dallying (meaning to move or act slowly; to waste time) or
procrastination (meaning to be slow or late about doing something that
should be done). Pure… unwavering (meaning continuing in a strong and
steady way)… obedience.

LESSON #3: Godly obedience should be swift (meaning happening or

done quickly or immediately).
Next, we read in verse 5 that Abraham tells his servants:

“Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will
worship and then we will come back to you.”

Notice that Abraham says “we” will come back to you after worshipping,
meaning he and  Isaac. Abraham believed the Lord would salvage the situation.

We see this faith displayed again when Isaac asks his dad where the lamb was:

“Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt
offering, my son.’”—Genesis 22:8

LESSON #4: Obedience both relies on God for strength and expects God

to deliver.

The altar got built but still no lamb. Now if I’m Abraham, I’m facing a crisis of
belief. Where’s the help? Where’s the provision? Where’s the relief?

Not Abraham. He continues in obedience:

“He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then
he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.”—Genesis 22:9–
10

Imagine the anguish and horror in that moment. Envision reconciling the
internal conflict of sacrificing someone you love for someone you love more.
Your knife is raised high and ready to cut short the life of someone so
important to you.

Of course, we know the story doesn’t end there. God interrupts:

“‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you
have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’ Abraham looked up
and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and
took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So
Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide.”—Genesis 22:12–14 (NIV)
God came through, just as Abraham had expected. Not only did God provide,
He then rewarded Abraham’s obedience. Abraham would have “descendants
as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.”

LESSON #5: What God requires, He provides.

As a fitness trainer, I see people reluctant to make sacrifices necessary to reach

their goals: junk food, too much exercise, not enough exercise, free time, TV,
alcohol, comfort zones, caffeine, accountability, and so on.

Until they give up what they want for something they want more, they’ll always
come up short.

Is there anything in your life that is a little too precious? Could you be making an idol
out of something that God merely intended to be a gift in your life? Only you really
know.

But understand, God is always at work, molding and shaping us for His
purposes. This sometimes comes by sacrifice…by testing and by trusting.

When that happens, let Abraham’s example be a blueprint for your obedience.

And let the Lord’s faithful sovereignty encourage you unto completion.

*How, if we are not careful, we can mess up God’s will for our lives

*Has God asked you to take a knife to something? Has He asked you to
put something on the altar and trust Him with it? How have you
responded?
 Abraham Bible Story
Group Age College

In this lesson students will learn about

1. The life story of Abraham
2. How God called Abraham
3. How Abraham responded God’s call

Heroes of Faith: 5 Vital Lessons from the Life of Abraham

INTRODUCTION

Abraham is one of the most popular spiritual giants in the Bible. He is known to be the father
of the faithful (Romans 4:11) and the friend of God (Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23). His life is so
significant that Abraham has been mentioned more times in the New Testament than anyone
in the Old Testament. His story covers a good portion of the book of Genesis. To this day, his
impact is so big that three of the major religions today consider him as a significant religious
figure.

It won’t take a lot of thinking before anyone can realize that we can learn important lessons
from the life of Abraham. His life is filled with so many accomplishments and failures that
we should not fail to take note of. With these in mind, let us explore the life of Abraham and
inculcate in our minds the vital lessons we must learn.
Lesson no. 1: Be willing to give up everything for God

Abraham is called the father of the faithful for good reasons. When God calls him to leave his
homeland, the land where he grew up and where his family is, he immediately “went
out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).

The test of his faith did not stop there. God asks him to offer his only begotten son. Can you
imagine the torment, doubt, and fear that could have raced behind Abraham’s mind? If you
are a father, will you have the strength and courage to put your beloved son on an altar, kill
him, burn him, and offer him to God?

God will never leave us empty. If He asks us to put something down, it is because He wants
us to pick something better.

Abraham is also a human, however, his faith is bigger than his doubts because he strongly
believed that God is able to raise Isaac up, even from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). Abraham is
fully convinced that what God had promised He is also able to perform.
This is the type of faith that makes Christians unstoppable.

Abraham has the faith that there is a reason behind everything that God asks him to do. His
faith is so strong that he is willing to give up EVERYTHING for God.

Abraham made a decision to give not just 50%, 70%, 80%, or 90% of his life but he decided
to give 100% of his life to God. Abraham is ready to leave behind everything familiar to him.
Even his own son, he is willing to offer to God.
The faith of Abraham is so impressive that Paul devoted a good portion of the Faith Chapter
to Abraham.

Like Abraham, we must have the willingness to devote our whole life and being to God. And
do you know the best thing about surrendering everything to God?

God will never leave us empty. If He asks us to put something down, it is because He wants
us to pick something better. We may not always understand why God commands us to do
something, but we can be 100% sure that it is for our own good (Psalms 84:11).

Lesson no. 2: Even spiritual giants are still humans

There is no doubt that Abraham’s faith is among the strongest in the Bible. However, as
strong as his faith might have been, he is still human, subject to frailties and weaknesses.
Abraham and Sarah were already old and they still didn’t have a son. This was a big issue in
their life and was considered to be shameful in their culture. Since Abraham didn’t have a
child, he had no proper heir for all his properties.

When all hopes seem to fade, God promised Abraham and Sarah that they will have a son in
their old age (Genesis 12:1-2, 13:16, 17:6). This promise has been mentioned to Abraham
multiple times and Abraham believed God.

Nevertheless, the fulfillment of the promise is not immediate. It took about 25 years before it
was fulfilled. Because of this, Abraham and Sarah grew impatient and Sarah gave her
handmaid, Hagar, to Abraham. Hagar eventually got pregnant and had a son named, Ishmael.

This fatal mistake of Abraham had caused division within his family. When Isaac finally was
born to Sarah, Ishmael and his mother were driven out from their place. Ishmael eventually
became the father of the Arab nation, while Isaac became the father of the English-speaking
nations and the Jews. This explains why Arab nations and the Western nations can’t find a
common ground to sustain long-lasting peace.

After the death of Sarah, Abraham took concubines (Genesis 25:6), which is something that
God does not approve. As expected, if you break the Law of God, it will break you. Abraham
will soon suffer the consequences of his sinful actions.

Although we can see that Abraham is not perfect, he is still considered as a friend of God. We
can find comfort from his life that though we may commit mistakes and sin, God is always
faithful to forgive us as long as we repent and change our ways.

Lesson no. 3: Tithing leads to physical blessings

Did you know that the first mention of tithing is found in Genesis 13:20? It is the time after
Abraham defeated possibly four kings to rescue his nephew, Lot. After defeating these kings,
he gathered many spoils and gave a tithe to Melchizedek.

This automatically dispels the wrong assumption that tithing is only commanded to the
Israelites since the Israelites haven’t existed yet during the time of Abraham. The truth is that
God commanded His people, both in the past and today, to give tithes and offering.

Because of Abraham’s obedience in the law of tithing and to the law of God as a whole, he
was blessed and increased by God (Isaiah 51:2). He became a “mighty prince” (Genesis 23:6)
and “very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold” (Genesis 13:2).
Needless to say, tithing opens a floodgate of blessings. We can read in Malachi 3:10-12:

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,

That there may be food in My house,
 And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room  enough  to receive it.
“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
says the LORD of hosts;
12 “And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,”
SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS.

Lesson no. 4: Faith is both believing and doing

The Apostle Paul said, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the
deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28).

Did Paul and James contradict each other? A deep look at these passages will tell us that they
did not. As a matter of fact, Paul and James were complementing each other. They were in
agreement. Both Paul and James used Abraham to explain their point.

Abraham both believed God but did not just let that belief remain in his mind. He acted upon
his belief. Paul and James included in their letter that “Abraham believed God, and it was
accounted to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3 and James 2:23).

Abraham showed us that no one can earn salvation and it is equally true that salvation
cannot be earned without works.

The point of Paul is that no amount of work can earn us salvation. Most of the Jews in Paul’s
time are so self-righteous that they trusted on their work. They thought that their tradition and
law-keeping will make them right with God. This is the kind of thinking

Faith is demonstrated through action. Believing is one thing but acting on that belief is
completely different.

Abraham exemplified what true and living faith is. Abraham’s belief in God behooves him to
act upon his belief. Abraham has faith and how would God know if he really has faith?
Through his actions. Faith is both belief in God and doing His commandments.
Abraham showed us that no one can earn salvation and it is equally true that salvation cannot
be earned without works.
Lesson no. 5: When making a decision, think generationally

Abraham is a man of decision. Whether we like it or not, we are all presented with different
choices. Some are minor, while others are really significant. The story of Abraham showed us
that every action leads to another. This is importantly true in Abraham’s life and it is
certainly true in our life today.

Abraham made a decision that did not just affect his life but also the life of other people. The
effects of his decision did not just affect his immediate lifetime but also down through the
history of man.

The decision of Abraham to take into his own hands the fulfillment of God’s promise caused
a tremendously negative effect. One decision led to the creation of the different modern
nations today. Because of his decision to obtain a son from Hagar, he started a domino effect
that run through the ages. We now have that ripple effect of seeing the Middle East as a
powder keg of strife and war. His descendants are always in conflict because of the family
feud that had started with Ishmael and Isaac thousands of years ago.

The story of Abraham and his descendants show us that the decision we make can potentially
affect everything around us. For this reason, before we commit a sin, we must also remember
that sin can put a toll on us in a personal and national level.

So many times we have seen people suffer not because of their own actions but because of
the sin of other people. Sin can affect the person doing it and the people around him. In
Abraham’s case, his sin of adultery affected not just himself but also his family and
descendants.

So before making a decision or committing a sin, think about how it can affect not just
yourself but also your loved ones. Think in a generational scale.

BRAINSTORMING ACTIVITY

1. How, if we are not careful, we can mess up God’s will for our lives

2. How to be patient in waiting for God’s will

3. How God always acts with perfect timing

Conclusion
Abraham is known to be the father of the faithful. Whether you are a Jew or gentile, an
Israelite or non-Israelite, you are part of Abraham’s seed (Galatians 3:29) when you accept
Jesus’ sacrifice and follow God’s commandments.
Therefore, it is important for us to think about the life of Abraham. Learn the lessons from his
life and like faith, let these lessons be evident in your life through righteous deeds and
actions.