Abraham: The Prophet and His Divine Relationship

Summary

### Summary

Good evening, family. Tonight, we delve into the intriguing topic of "Abraham the Prophet." It's fascinating to note that while Abraham is often recognized for his faith, few acknowledge him as a prophet. Yet, in Genesis 20:7, God Himself calls Abraham a prophet when speaking to Abimelech. This title, "prophet," or "Nabi" in Hebrew, signifies a spokesperson for God. Prophets are not omniscient; they only know what God reveals to them. This relationship with God is crucial for any prophetic ministry.

Abraham's prophetic role is deeply tied to his relationship with God. A prophet must know God intimately to speak on His behalf. This relationship is built on encounters, sacrifices, and altars. Abraham's life was full of divine encounters and sacrifices, which deepened his relationship with God. For instance, every time Abraham had an encounter with God, he built an altar. Today, our altars are our prayers and our lives as living sacrifices, as described in Romans 12.

Prophetic people are also people of discernment. Not everyone who prophesies is from God. Accuracy in prophecy does not necessarily mean it is from God. The enemy can also provide accurate information through divination. Therefore, discernment is crucial. A true prophet of God will have the character of God and will be obedient to His instructions, no matter how difficult they may be.

Abraham's obedience is a hallmark of his prophetic ministry. He left his homeland, followed God's instructions, and even when it was difficult, he obeyed. This level of obedience is essential for anyone walking in the prophetic. It's not about personal gain but about fulfilling God's will.

In conclusion, every child of God has a prophetic nature because of the Holy Spirit within them. While not everyone holds the office of a prophet, we all can operate in prophetic gifts like words of knowledge, wisdom, and healing. The key is to have a deep relationship with God, be discerning, and be obedient to His voice.

### Key Takeaways

1. Prophetic Relationship with God: A prophet must have a deep, intimate relationship with God to speak on His behalf. This relationship is built through encounters, sacrifices, and altars. Abraham's life exemplifies this as he consistently built altars and made sacrifices, deepening his connection with God. [07:15]

2. Discernment in Prophecy: Accuracy in prophecy does not necessarily mean it is from God. The enemy can also provide accurate information through divination. Therefore, discernment is crucial. A true prophet of God will have the character of God and will be obedient to His instructions. [13:11]

3. Obedience to God's Voice: Abraham's obedience is a hallmark of his prophetic ministry. He left his homeland and followed God's instructions, even when it was difficult. This level of obedience is essential for anyone walking in the prophetic. It's not about personal gain but about fulfilling God's will. [25:53]

4. Prophetic Nature of Believers: Every child of God has a prophetic nature because of the Holy Spirit within them. While not everyone holds the office of a prophet, we all can operate in prophetic gifts like words of knowledge, wisdom, and healing. The key is to have a deep relationship with God, be discerning, and be obedient to His voice. [31:12]

5. Sacrifice and Altars: Prophetic people are people of sacrifice and altars. Abraham's life was full of divine encounters and sacrifices, which deepened his relationship with God. Today, our altars are our prayers and our lives as living sacrifices, as described in Romans 12. [22:47]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[04:54] - Opening Prayer
[05:50] - Abraham the Prophet
[06:41] - Prophetic Knowledge and Omniscience
[07:15] - Relationship with God
[07:57] - The Role of a Spokesperson
[09:29] - Knowing God to Speak for God
[10:25] - Isaiah's Revelation
[11:52] - The Desire of God
[12:30] - False Prophets and Discernment
[13:11] - Accuracy vs. Source
[14:31] - The Spirit of Divination
[15:10] - Personal Experience with False Prophets
[17:47] - Character of a True Prophet
[18:30] - Sacrifice and Obedience
[19:34] - The Power of Words
[20:11] - Pentecost and Prophecy
[21:29] - Encounters with God
[22:47] - Altars and Sacrifices
[24:10] - Intimacy with the Father
[25:53] - Obedience in the Prophetic
[27:22] - Abraham's Sacrifices
[28:41] - The Life of Surrender
[30:14] - Prophetic Nature of Believers
[31:12] - Ananias and Paul
[32:46] - Abraham's Obedience
[34:48] - Personal Testimony of Obedience
[36:15] - Walking in Obedience
[38:12] - Fulfillment through Obedience
[39:37] - The Great Commission
[41:02] - Prayer Walk Experience
[41:49] - Prophetic Gifts in Believers
[42:20] - Conclusion and Blessings

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide: Abraham the Prophet

#### Bible Reading
1. Genesis 20:7 - "Now therefore, restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours."
2. Romans 12:1 - "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."
3. Acts 2:4 - "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

#### Observation Questions
1. What title does God give Abraham in Genesis 20:7, and what does this title signify? [05:50]
2. According to Romans 12:1, what are believers encouraged to offer as a living sacrifice, and why? [23:26]
3. In Acts 2:4, what immediate effect did the Holy Spirit have on the believers? [20:11]
4. How did Abraham demonstrate his obedience to God throughout his life? [25:53]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why is it significant that God called Abraham a prophet in Genesis 20:7? How does this shape our understanding of Abraham's relationship with God? [05:50]
2. How does the concept of offering our bodies as living sacrifices in Romans 12:1 relate to the idea of building altars in Abraham's time? [23:26]
3. What does the filling of the Holy Spirit and the subsequent speaking in tongues in Acts 2:4 reveal about the nature of prophetic gifts in the New Testament? [20:11]
4. How does Abraham's obedience, even in difficult circumstances, serve as a model for believers today? [25:53]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your personal relationship with God. What steps can you take to deepen this relationship and become more attuned to His voice? [07:15]
2. Discernment is crucial in distinguishing true prophecy from false. How can you develop better discernment in your spiritual life? Have you ever encountered a situation where discernment was necessary? [13:11]
3. Abraham's life was marked by obedience to God's voice, even when it was challenging. Can you recall a time when you had to obey God despite difficulties? How did it impact your faith? [25:53]
4. The sermon mentioned that every believer has a prophetic nature due to the Holy Spirit within them. How can you cultivate and use your prophetic gifts in your daily life? [31:12]
5. Abraham built altars as a sign of his encounters with God. In today's context, how can you create "altars" in your life through prayer and sacrifice? What practical steps can you take to make your life a living sacrifice as described in Romans 12:1? [22:47]
6. The sermon highlighted the importance of character in a true prophet. How can you work on developing the character of God in your life? What specific traits do you need to focus on? [18:30]
7. Reflect on the story of Ananias and Paul. How can you be more open to God's specific instructions in your life, even if they seem daunting or unexpected? [32:46]

This guide is designed to help your small group delve deeper into the themes of the sermon, "Abraham the Prophet," and apply its lessons to their lives. May your discussions be fruitful and transformative.

Devotional

Day 1: Intimate Relationship with God
A prophet must have a deep, intimate relationship with God to speak on His behalf. This relationship is built through encounters, sacrifices, and altars. Abraham's life exemplifies this as he consistently built altars and made sacrifices, deepening his connection with God. Today, our altars are our prayers and our lives as living sacrifices, as described in Romans 12. [07:15]

Genesis 12:7-8 (ESV): "Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, 'To your offspring I will give this land.' So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord."

Reflection: How can you create a "spiritual altar" in your daily life to deepen your relationship with God? What specific time and place can you dedicate to prayer and worship this week?

Day 2: Discernment in Prophecy
Accuracy in prophecy does not necessarily mean it is from God. The enemy can also provide accurate information through divination. Therefore, discernment is crucial. A true prophet of God will have the character of God and will be obedient to His instructions. [13:11]

1 John 4:1 (ESV): "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."

Reflection: Think of a time when you received advice or a message that seemed accurate but left you feeling uneasy. How can you practice discernment to ensure that the guidance you follow aligns with God's character and will?

Day 3: Obedience to God's Voice
Abraham's obedience is a hallmark of his prophetic ministry. He left his homeland and followed God's instructions, even when it was difficult. This level of obedience is essential for anyone walking in the prophetic. It's not about personal gain but about fulfilling God's will. [25:53]

Hebrews 11:8 (ESV): "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?

Day 4: Prophetic Nature of Believers
Every child of God has a prophetic nature because of the Holy Spirit within them. While not everyone holds the office of a prophet, we all can operate in prophetic gifts like words of knowledge, wisdom, and healing. The key is to have a deep relationship with God, be discerning, and be obedient to His voice. [31:12]

1 Corinthians 14:1 (ESV): "Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy."

Reflection: Reflect on the spiritual gifts you believe God has given you. How can you use these gifts to serve others and glorify God this week?

Day 5: Sacrifice and Altars
Prophetic people are people of sacrifice and altars. Abraham's life was full of divine encounters and sacrifices, which deepened his relationship with God. Today, our altars are our prayers and our lives as living sacrifices, as described in Romans 12. [22:47]

Romans 12:1 (ESV): "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

Reflection: What is one specific sacrifice you can make this week to draw closer to God? How can you offer your daily actions as a form of worship to Him?

Quotes

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "Prophetic people don't have access to the spiritual realm because they want to have access now. The access they have in the spiritual realm is what God revealed to them. That's why prophetic people are not omniscient. Only God is omniscient. Okay. Prophetic people don't know everything. They only know what God revealed to them." [06:41] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Accuracy doesn't mean it's from God. Because even the devil can know some stuff. The devil knows your name. The devil knows your cell phone number. The devil knows the things you do in secret. Not just God. The devil knows what's going on in your house. The devil knows the girlfriends that you got, the boyfriend that you have. Whatever life you live in is secret. He can see you too because it's a spiritual being." [13:11] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "For you to speak on behalf of God, you need the character of God. Let me repeat myself again. For you to speak on behalf of God, you need to have the character of God. There was one guy, three years back, that we met. I think that's one of the most accurate spiritual person I've ever seen in my life. Extremely accurate." [15:57] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "A child of God without sacrifice will never experience intimacy with the Father. Because the intimacy of the Father, you see it at the altar. That's a place where we surrender our self. We surrender our will. We surrender our ambitions. We surrender our dreams. We surrender our visions. And we allow the Father will to be done in our life." [24:59] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Every child of God have a prophetic nature and prophetic dimension they can walk with. Even if they're not prophet, you know, the prophetic is not their office, but they have that nature inside of them. Walk into word of knowledge. Word of wisdom. Word of healing. Word of healing. That sometimes God will just give you a word and you just, hey, somebody help this pain here. Pa, somebody, you never have a baby. God is giving you a baby." [41:49] ( | | )

### Quotes for Members

1. "A prophet of God is a spokesperson of God. And for you to be a spokesperson, you need to know who you're talking about. You need to know who you're representing. You need to know that person on behalf of who you are declaring or decreeing staff. So you cannot speak on behalf of God if you don't have a relationship with God." [09:29] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "A true prophetic person, you want to hide. A true prophetic person, you don't want people to even know your name. You don't want anyone to even know your name because you just want the name of the one that sent you. You know you are nothing. You are nothing without that name. You are nobody without God himself. You are nobody without the Holy Ghost because that's what is, you know, this is the person that sent you." [28:41] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "A prophet of God, for you to speak on behalf of God, you need to have the character of God. I know inside of you, a prophet of God is the man of encounter. Anyone that speak on behalf of God need not one, not twice, consistent encounters. Because remember what I always say, the more you know God, the more you can represent him." [19:34] ( | | )

4. "A prophet of God is the man of encounter. Anyone that speak on behalf of God need not one, not twice, consistent encounters. Because remember what I always say, the more you know God, the more you can represent him. I mean, the more you know about God, the more you can represent him. And the more you closer to God, the more accurate you become in the way you speak about him, the way you represent him in your speech, in your declaration of whatever come out of your mouth." [19:34] ( | | )

5. "A prophet of God, for you to speak on behalf of God, you need to have the character of God. I know inside of you, a prophet of God is the man of encounter. Anyone that speak on behalf of God need not one, not twice, consistent encounters. Because remember what I always say, the more you know God, the more you can represent him. I mean, the more you know about God, the more you can represent him. And the more you closer to God, the more accurate you become in the way you speak about him, the way you represent him in your speech, in your declaration of whatever come out of your mouth." [19:34] ( | | )

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?