Abraham's Faith Extended in Prayer

Abraham’s Prayer For The City

Series Theme: We participate in God’s covenant with Abraham by faith, as we respond to the divine call, are tested by God, enjoy His guidance, and enjoy the rewards of faith fulfilled in a transformed world.

2/8 Abram’s call and My Call
God called Abram to leave his family for the promise of a new and greater family, to leave his land for the promise of a new and greater land, to leave his lifeless gods to walk with the one, true God.

2/15 Abram’s faith stretched: a new family, a new land READ: Genesis 12:1-13:1
a. Abram & Jesus—called, tested, guided, rewarded
b. I am called by God: to a new family, a new home, a new vocation

Today…2/22 Abram’s Faith extended: a Prayer for the City, Gen. 12, 18:16-33
We pray most effectively when we approach God with his own words, appealing to his own attributes, seeking the extension of his righteousness to the unrighteous.

A. Abraham encountered challenges living in the Land of Promise that only God could resolve.
1. Abraham was charged to exhibit his faith, to enjoy the blessings of God’s promises to him, by living in righteousness and pursuing justice.
a. The unconditional promises of God to Abraham were also conditional in experience—God asked righteousness and justice from Abraham!
b. Abraham heard the outcry of Sodom and Gommorah, and knew that God heard as well.
c. God said within Abraham’s hearing: “shall I hide what I am about to do to Sodom & Gomorrah from Abraham, when I have covenanted with him to extend righteousness and justice to the earth? (this would require that)

Gen. 18:19 “For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.”
Gen. 18:20 And the Lord said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.

2. Abraham expressed faith in God by praying to God in response to God’s own statements.
Gen. 18:17 The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
GOD’S WORDS STIMULATED ABRAHAM’S PRAYER.
Would God have asked if he should tell Abraham if he didn’t intend to tell Abraham?

3. Abraham’s faith led him to boldly approach God for the preservation of the city.
a. Abraham challenged God to act righteously, appealing to His attributes, his character: 18:25
Gen. 18:25 “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”
b. Abraham approached God humbly:

Gen. 18:27 And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but dust and ashes.

c. Abraham prayed in line with God’s mission—
we pray to enhance our strength, have our needs met, etc.
Abraham is using his connection to God to pray for those in Sodom, victims of violent injustice. Poor people are being trampled in Sodom; urban society oppressing the marginal and the poor. God hears and responds. Abraham knows how wicked they are: he asks to spare/forgive them! His relatives are there, yes. But if he only wanted that, he would have asked to spare the kinsmen only. He prays that the wicked city would be spared, blessed, forgiven, pardoned.

Abraham encountered challenges living in the Land of Promise that only God could resolve.
We face people and circumstances that only God can transform.

B. Abraham prayed in this way because he understood God’s character.
1. Abraham focused on the attributes of God.
Gen. 18:25 “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”
Justice!
Grace! Gen. 18:19 “For I have chosen him,
God loves the undeserving.
2. Abraham took the next step of grace and understood that God would NOT only NOT condemn the righteous along with the unrighteous…

3. …but He might agree to spare the unrighteous because of the righteous.

a. In effect, condemning the righteous because they are in the city with the unrighteous would mean that unrighteousness is IMPUTED to the righteous.
The guilt of the many can be imputed to the few.

b. NOW, Abraham is asking for the reverse.
IMPUTE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE FEW TO THE MANY.

In one of the most shocking accounts in history…
c. God agrees.

Gen. 18:24 “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?

Abraham encountered challenges living in the Land of Promise that only God could resolve.
We face people and circumstances that only God can transform.

Abraham prayed in this way because he understood God’s character.
We pray most effectively when we approach God with his own words, appealing to his own attributes, seeking the extension of his righteousness to the unrighteous.

C. We can pray as Abraham prayed.
1. Prayer is our response to what God does, what God says.
2. God is so much greater than we are, yet he forgives us.
3. Being good is not the key to answered prayer, or to divine intervention.
i. NOT: the good are God’s; the bad people are sent to hell.
ii. RATHER: all who will ADMIT they are evil are ready for Grace; the proud are without hope.
4. The Gospel helps us recognize evil, and simultaneously desire good for our entire city.

Keller: Many centuries later, someone came along who could walk this pathway …, who was righteous enough to transfer righteousness and spare the city.
Jesus took the divine wrath upon himself!
Jesus gave his life, praying for people who WERE killing him! “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Jesus took the divine wrath of cosmic justice into his own self.
God said that HE would accept the righteousness of one person for the many, if it were THAT man (Jesus).

APPLICATION:
a. Would you forgive the unrighteousness of the many for the righteousness of a few?
b. Fewer?
c. Very few?

Gospel: 10’
1. Abraham approaches God to deal for the imputation of righteousness to the many.
a. Approached as if in a court of law.
Nagash—a commoner approaching an exalted person with respect
AN enemy approaching for battle;
A defense attorney approaching the judge with a case.

b. Forgive the many for the righteousness of the few.
TWOT-- Yet clear examples of approaching God the judge are evidenced, i.e. coming into a courtroom prepared to argue a case (Gen 18:23).
This image of a courtroom is used forcibly by the prophet Isaiah to call Israel and the nations into account (Isa 41:1, 21; 45:20–21). The servant of the Lord boldly proclaims God as his advocate before his enemies. He has no fear of being proven wrong (50:8).
Note courtroom context!!

c. God accepted the concept of transference of righteousness.
d. God held out for the ONE Righteous human whose purity could be imputed.
2. Advocacy is key:
a. Abraham advocated for Sodom and Gomorrah
b. Jesus advocates for us daily, asking that the ONE death be accepted as sufficient for each person.
1John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
Heb. 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

c. We advocate for our unrighteous neighbours.
i. We acknowledge that evil is real.
ii. We approach God over the evil around us.
iii. We humbly acknowledge our part in the evil. 18:27: “dust and ashes”
iv. We advocate for the imputation of righteousness to our evil neighbours.

APPLICATION:
Are my prayers like this?
Am I controlled by love for the people I don’t like?
How do I respond to the evil folk around me? In the next neighbourhood?
Can I pray for their forgiveness? Approaching Easter, this seems essential.
Jesus, the antidote to divine justice and wrath.


3/1 Sarai’s barrenness, Gen. 11
Series Theme: We participate in God’s covenant with Abraham by faith, as we respond to the divine call, are tested by God, enjoy His guidance, and enjoy the rewards of faith fulfilled in a transformed world.
Sarai’s barrenness was central to the story of Genesis: