A special message: God's grace revealed to Abraham

I once learned the story in genesis 18 from a Morning Revival few months ago. The message was focusing on intercessory prayer. When I was asked to share something at a meeting elsewhere, I just recalled this story, and pondered the story in that chapter. Therefore I want to share the lessons I learned from the story to you too.  

 

The story was about the LORD visiting Abraham, confirming the birth of Isaac from Sarah, and the revelation of God's plan to destroy Sodom. From the story, I can clearly see the grace of God towards Abraham, the father of faith. 

 

1. By grace, the LORD comes to Abraham. 

 

1 Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.   2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,   3 and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.  4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.  5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.”   7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it.   8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. (Genesis 18:1-8 NKJV) 

 

From the story, we see that there were 3 men came to visit Abraham. Obviously, one of them was the LORD, as indicated in verses 13-14, and  the other 2 were the angels, as indicated in Genesis 19:1. The LORD appeared as the Pre-incarnate Christ to Abraham. 

 

If we consider Abraham's life, we will see that he does not deserve God's visit at all. In Genesis 12, he revealed his selfishness by lying that Sarah was his sister in order to safe his life in Egypt, without caring the heart of his own wife. He must be very proud of the trick that he had invented, because he used it again with Abimelech later on in Genesis 20.  (Even worse, his own son, Isaac, might have heard the strategy from his parents, and used it too with another Abimelech in Genesis 26.) And instead of waiting patiently for God's answer regarding the offspring, he was so obedient to his wife Sarah by taking her maid Hagar as another wife. (Please note that I'm not going to suggest that a husband should be rebellious to his wife!) This resulted in chaotic situations afterwards. Regardless of his imperfection, God first revealed Himself to Abraham. And what was his reaction? He quickly ran to the men, welcomed them, and enjoyed fellowship with them. He stood there by them while they were eating. 

 

Brothers and sisters, the bible says clearly that no one is righteous in God's eye. No one is worthy for His visit. Romans 5:6-11 explicitly says that we were weak and ungodly (v. 6). We were sinners (v. 8), and God's enemies (v. 10). We were absolutely unworthy. Yet by Grace, Christ, the Creator of the universe, became flesh to dwell among His people (John 1:14). Moreover, He who had never sinned became sin for us, and died for us at the cross, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Son of God became the Son of Man, so that the son of man can be the son of God! 

 

I always say to new believers that Christianity is not a religion. It is not about following the lists of dos and don'ts. It is all about relationship. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20 NKJV) What is your response to His calling? Would you gladly open the door to Him and welcome Him? Would you like to be there beside Him, enjoying the fellowship with Him?  

 

2. By grace, the LORD gives a "new life" to Abraham . 

 

[And the Lord said to Abraham] "Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." (Genesis 18:14) 

 

Next, the LORD said to them that Sarah would surely have a son. When? At the time of "life." 

 

Abraham was so old then. He was nearly 100 years old, and Sarah was post-menopausal too (Genesis 18:11). It was absolutely impossible for them to have a child. His impotent body was as good as dead and that Sarah’s womb, too, was dead (Romans 4:19). But "is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14 NKJV) Surely, the answer is "NO." The dead people like Abraham and Sarah could have life again. They did not receive this life by them self, but by God's grace. They received the new life by the birth of Isaac, who is the type of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

Brothers and sisters, we were all as good as dead, because our spirit was deadened by sin (Ephesians 2:1). We could not have relationship with God.  We were alienated from God. Nevertheless, the time of "life" has come. The death of Christ delivers us from God's righteous judgment. But don't forget that His resurrection also brings us life. We don't have to wait until we die to have eternal life. We can experience this "life" now! Jesus Christ, as the second Adam, has become the life-giving Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). And now Christ is in us, which is truly a mystery and also our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). We now can have the abundant life (John 10:10), and the source of this life is Christ, the fountain of living waters (Jeremiah 2:13). Our thirst can never be quenched and our heart can never be satisfied, unless we come and drink the living waters from the Source (John 4:14; 7:37). Let's come and enjoy drinking the living waters everyday!  

 

What is your source of life today? Do you seek your satisfaction from anything other than Christ?  When it comes to make a decision, what is the source of that decision? Is it from your own thought, from Google, from an advice of experts, or from the Source of living waters?   

 

Brothers and sisters, which way you will go does not matter. But what the source of that decision is matters much! May that source always be the fountain of living waters! 

 

3. By grace, the LORD reveals His plan to Abraham. 

 

Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing" (Genesis 18:16-17 NKJV) 

 

Then, Abraham, the friend of God (James 2:23), went with the Lord to send them on the way. And the Lord revealed him His plan that He would destroy Sodom, because the people there were exceedingly wicked. What was Abraham's reaction when he heard the plan? He interceded for Sodom.  

 

Brothers and sisters, the Lord tells us that "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15 NKJV) We are His friends. By God's grace, He has revealed His plans to us already in the bible. We need to link all the passages from the bible in order to understand His ultimate plan in the bible. There are a few points I would like to mention here. 

 

3.1 The Lord is coming back again soon. 

 

He is coming back again soon. That day will be like Sodom. Jesus reveals that the day of His second coming, particularly at the judgment by fire, will be like the day of Sodom's destruction. He is coming to take His people with Him. On the contrary, we know that the ending of the ungodly will not be very happy, because they will be justly judged. 

 

Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. (Luke 17:28-30 NKJV) 

 

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? (2 Peter 3:10-12 NKJV) 

 

What should our reaction be, when we know that Christ is coming back again soon? Like Abraham, may we intercede for the people who have not been saved yet, that they may be saved by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus. Who would you like to pray for today? 

 

Moreover, from the story, we can see that God revealed His plan to Abraham, so that he would intercede for Sodom. God needs someone to pray, so that He can move. Perhaps, God may reveal something to you today. It may be about someone who is apostating from the way. It may be about a bad situation occurring somewhere. It may be about a brother who is facing temptation or difficulty. What would your reaction be? Would you like to intercede for them? 

 

3.2 God's ultimate plan is to make Christ preeminent. 

 

Have you ever wondered what the ultimate plan of God is? This is so important, so that you can be sure that what you are doing is in the flow of God's move.  

 

Ephesians 1:10 says clearly. The intention of God's ultimate plan is "that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him."  (Ephesians 1:10 NKJV) God wants to make Christ preeminent over all things. And this will consummate at the new heaven and new earth, in which all things will be headed up in Christ. 

 

To make Christ preeminent in our life, God needs to destroy Sodom, and Christ needs to be increased. Yes, we need to depend upon Him in all the small decisions we make each day. But do not waste much time with what does not eternally matter. What colour of shoes to wear, which clothes to buy, or where to eat do not matter much for eternity. Do not spend too much time to seek God's guidance for that. But we need to ask God, how could we co-ordinate and co-operate with Him to destroy Sodom and to make Christ preeminent in our life? Let's say from our heart like John the Baptist, "He must increase, and I must decrease." (John 3:30 NKJV) God wants us to be saturated with Christ who is living in us (Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:15), and we will be conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus, as we are predestined to be (Romans 8:29). 

 

To make Christ preeminent over all creation, God needs the church to fully express Him on this earth. God needs us all to move together, so that He can move. What should we do to fully co-ordinate and co-operate with Him to move on this earth? God will not move without his Church moving. 

 

What can we do to show the full co-ordination and co-operation with His move? Everyone can do it, I promise. The most important thing, which is pre-requisite to God's move, is praying. God needs the overcomers, the men of prayer, to turn the age. Would you like to pray with me, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done" (Matthew 6:10 NKJV)? Are you ready to pray the last prayer in the bible, "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20 NKJV)?  

 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Revelation 22:21) 

 

 

Further readings 

• Footnotes of Genesis chapter 18 from 
  • The Holy Bible Recovery Version. 
  • ESV Study Bible 
  • KJV Scofield Study System 
• BSF study note for Genesis 18-19, Abraham’s prayer and Sodom’s destruction 
• The Central Line of the Divine Revelation, Witness Lee, message three "The Divine Economy". 
• Basic Elements of the Christian Life  volume 1, Witness Lee & Watchman Nee, chapter 1 "The Mystery of Human Life". 

 

Thirayost Nimmanon 

 

 

Daniel and Zechariah Volume 2, week 7

Week 7: Christ as Everything for the Building of the Temple of God 

 

We have already finished the crystallisation study of Daniel. I learned a lot from it and really enjoyed it. And now, we are moving to another book in the old testament. It is the book of Zechariah. 

 

Where is it? …. Umm, somewhere in the Old Testament, probably in the group of minor prophets.  

What is it about? …. Interesting! Probably about Israel? Oh, I know a part of one popular verse, saying "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit" (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV). I heard it from a song. But don't ask me what the context is. I absolutely have no idea. Even though I have ever read through it for a few times, all the text just went over my head.  

 

Praise the Lord that I had an opportunity to join a training about this book last winter. I was so wondered how Christ-centered this book is. Yes, the direct recipients of the book are the Israel people who were then captives returning to Jerusalem. But the visions of consolation and promise, as well as prophecies in this book are clearly pointing our Lord Jesus Christ. And in next 6 messages, we are going to discover many mysteries concerning Christ hidden within this book together. 

 

 

Zechariah's ministry 

 

In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet (Zecharriah 1:1 NKJV) 

 

I would like to start first with the meanings of the names here, because I really like them. "Zechariah" means "Jehovah remembers." "Berechiah" means "Jehovah blesses." And "Iddo" means "at an appoint time."  

 

 Actually, in order to encourage the people, Zechariah did not have to do anything. He could just come out, introduce his name, and the people would get the message of hope, "God remembers!" Is there any other comforting word for the hopeless captives better than the assuring word that God remembered them? He did not forget or forsake is people at all. They were always remembered by Him.  

 

And even better, if he just brought his dad and his granddad with him, the people would be even more encouraged. "At an appointed time, Jehovah will bless and Jehovah will remember." According to God's promise, the time of captivity as a chastisement was already over. Now was the time that their God would turn to them, and bless them! 

 

Likewise, if you are having a hard time, remember this name, Zechariah. God remembers you. He never forgets nor forsakes you. Please believe me, not because I say that, but because it is God's promise for you. 

 

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV) 

 

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6 NKJV) 

 

Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. (Isaiah 49:15 NKJV) 

  

At his time, Zechariah worked together with the prophet Haggai, encouraging people to build the temple of God under the priesthood of Joshua and the kingship of Zerubbabel. God used Zechariah and Haggai to encourage and strengthen both Joshua and Zerubbabel, whose priesthood and kingship were needed for the rebuilding of the temple.  

 

Likewise, to build the glorious temple, the church, God needs a high priest and a king. He builds the church under the priesthood of Christ, and kingship of Christ. Jesus is both our high Priest and our King. Jesus alone can fulfil what are needed to build up this temple.  

 

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (Hebrews 4:14 NKJV) 

 

But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom." (Hebrews 1:8 NKJV) 

 

Even though, the ministries of Haggai and Zechariah are quite similar, there are some different points. The word of Haggai is mainly about warning, strengthening and encouraging people to serve the Lord by building the temple. It is straightforward and easy to understand. In contrast, Zechariah's word is much more mysterious. It is really difficult to comprehend. Yet it directly points to the most important One, Jesus Christ, who is the only real hope of all the nations. 

 

Yes, we need the people like Haggai, who encourage people to serve the Lord. But we need the people like Zechariah much more. The church needs the people who intimately know Christ, truly understand the mysterious truths concerning Him, boldly speak about Him, and bring people to Him. Don't you want to be a man like Zechariah so that the whole church will be built up?  

 

 

The vision of a Man riding on a red horses 

 

Zechariah 1-6 says about eight night visions revealed to the prophet. The first vision is so touching for me. So may I explain the points of this vision that I really enjoyed here. 

 

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet:  I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white.  (Zechariah 1:7-8 NKJV) 

 

Then the Angel of the Lord answered and said, "O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?" (Zechariah 1:12 NKJV) 

 

Who  is the man on the red horse?  

 

From verses 11-12, we can see that this man is mentioned as "the Angel [Messenger] of the LORD [Jehovah]." (Please note the use of capital A for Angel or capital M for Messenger in some translations, such as Recovery Version, NKJV, HCSB, and God's Word.)  Moreover, this man is highly respected by the prophet Zechariah, who called Him "my lord" in verse 9. So this man is special. But who is he? 

 

After having done a quick research about this, I have found various comments about this man. Some interpret it very literally and say that he is just an angel. While others believe that this is a theophany (a cool jargon for "God's appearance") or the appearance of the Pre-incarnate Christ (appearing of Jesus Christ prior to His incarnation). Regardless of the controversy, I'm convinced that this one is our Lord Jesus Christ who revealed Himself to the prophet. In the light of the Christophany (again, another cool jargon for the appearance of Christ in the Old Testament), we will be able to grasp precious spiritual implications from this vision of Zechariah's. 

 

This is not the first time that the word "the Angel of Jehovah" represents God Himself. There are many places in the Old Testament where the Angel of Jehovah is definitely God Himself. One of the obvious examples is in Genesis 16. Hagar was visited by the Angel of Jehovah. After the meeting, she "called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, 'Have I also here seen Him who sees me?' " (Genesis 16:13 NKJV) She knew that the One who conversed with her was not only an angel, but God Himself. In New Testament, the word "angel" is rarely used to represent Christ. But in Revelation 18:3-5, it is obvious that the "angel" is Christ as the great High Priest. 

 

As John 1 says "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." (John 1:18 NKJV) No one has ever fully seen the spiritual essence of God the Father. Therefore I believe that God who demonstrated Himself in the Old Testament should be the second person of the Godhead, Jesus Christ.  

 

What is the man on the horse doing? 

 

In the vision, the Angel of the LORD was "riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow" (Zechariah 1:7 NKJV) 

 

What is the myrtle trees? I have not seen it. I have not even heard about it outside the bible. A myrtle tree is a bushy evergreen. It is beautiful, but it does not look as gland or majestic as the tall trees, like Cedar. Moreover, the myrtle trees in the vision were in a lowly place as the glen (or hollow or bottom of the valley)! Therefore the myrtle trees should have signified the Israel people who were in a very humiliating condition in the captivity, yet they were so precious in the eyes of the Lord.  

 

The Angel was riding on a red horse, which signifies Christ's swift move in His redemption, which could be accomplished only through His precious blood. And this redemption of sin has already been accomplished on the cross.  

 

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7 NKJV) 

 

To build up a physical temple, it was not so difficult for God. He only needed His people to respond to His calling. But to build up the glorious temple of His body, which is the church, it is not that easy. He needed to become a man Himself, so that He could die for our sins, and resurrect from the dead. Through His death and resurrection, Christ has become the foundation stone, upon whom the church is built (Matthew 16:19; Isaiah 28:16), and the chief Cornerstone, by whom the Jewish and the Gentile believers are joined together (Ephesians 2:20). 

 

Additionally, in verse 12, we can see that the Angel was interceding for the people. What a wonderful picture. God the Son prayed to God the father for His humiliated yet precious people! 

 

What does this story mean to me? 

 

What was my reaction when I first heard the meaning of this vision? It was amazed. I was totally stunned by God's love for me.   

 

As sinners, we were so humiliated. We were slaves of sin. We were even His enemies. We were absolutely unworthy for God even to look upon us. Yet, God showed His love for us. He became a man at His incarnation, faced all temptations on the earth even more than we can ever do, and eventually died for the redemption of our sin. Yes, we are totally unworthy, yet we are by no means worthless. We are so precious in God's eyes that Christ was willing to die for us. He did this so that we may have life in Him. This is called "Grace." It is not just an ordinary grace. It is the Amazing Grace. Once you truly experience this God of grace, your life will never be the same. 

 

The vision also reminds me of a verse in the bible, saying: 

 

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16 NKJV) 

 

Yes, we have got a Great High Priest who totally understands us. Let's come boldly to the throne of grace. And His promise is that whenever we do that, we will obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need! 

 

Moreover, the picture of the Angel interceding for HIs people in the vision also reminds me that Christ is interceding for us.  

 

But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:24-25 NKJV) 

 

Why should I fear anything or be anxious about anything, when I know that Jesus, our Great High Priest, is there at the right hand of God interceding for me all the time? He intercedes for us 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. He can do this because He never slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:2). Even when we are too weak to pray, He is still there to pray for you. Praise the Lord! 

 

Reference 

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallisation Study of Daniel and Zechariah Volume 2, week 7. 
• Footnotes of Zechariah chapter 1, The Holy Bible Recovery Version. 

 

Thirayost Nimmanon