Abrahams tent

TENT

a portable shelter made of cloth, supported by one or more poles and stretched tight by cords or loops attached to pegs driven into the ground.

Some Characteristics of Tent.

1) Easily Taken Out.

2) No Boasting about the tent

3) Not Permanent

Name some people that are associated with Tents.

1) Abraham , Isaac, Jacob - lived in tents

2) Paul - Tent making business along with Prscilla, Aquila,

There are 2 aspects of the tent we will see today in believers life.

1) Tent  - Body

For we know that if our earthly [a]house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our [b]habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as [c]a guarantee.

6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

 a) In New testament, the human body is also referred as tent.

 b)  In this tent,

What we usually do with this tent.

We decorate it, mask it, dress it, color the hair it.

We all want it to be clothed. How many of us like to have nice clothes.

I think our Church is famous for nice clothing.

Let us see what Paul says about this tent. 

we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed.

Wait. Paul says he also wants to this tent to be clothed.

But his seeking clothing from heaven.

This clothing is something form heaven, that is a resurrection body.

1 Corinthians 15:35-44

35 But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36 What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38 Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. 39 Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.

40 There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 41 The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.

42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

So every body has a glory.

sun has a glory, moon has a glory, every celestial body has a glory.

In same way, the heavenly bodies will have that glory. and John says we shall be like Him.

1 John 3: 

. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

So, this tent changes year after year.

Your body is not the same as 10 or 20 years ago.

and as you get 60 or 70 years then it will change. and as you get to 80, it will change more.

But when we are given the resurrection body, that will be glorious.

so as John says ,so we have this hope and wait for this hope, let us purifies himself as He is pure.

The Resurrection Bodies - no marriage, they will be like angels in this aspect.

Matthew 22:29,30

29 Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. 30 For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven.

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2) Tent - Abraham's tent

what so special about Abraham's tent

Hebrews 11
9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God

This is a special tent out of all the tents in the bible.

let us look at this Abrahams tent.

1) There is a generation living in this tent.

Abraham and Sarah lived in this tent.

Genesis 24:67

 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

So Isaac brought his wife rebekah into his mothers tent.

Genesis 25:27

27 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a [f]mild man, dwelling in tents

Jacob Lived in tents.

In every generation, we see the youngsters think that the parents are outdated, they dont know whats latest, whats the new thing. 

But Isaac and Jacob has learnt one thing from their father that they did not think that their father was outdated man, they did not think that my dad doesnt latest cool thing, they did not think my father might have used ols style, but i will get new style because thats the cool thing.

You see esau differed from his father and became a man of the field.

but Jacob dwelt in the tents.

We might think that this is just a tent, what a big deal in this.

But Hebrews says, because dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob,  they are the heirs with him of the same promise.

9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;

There is an inheritance of the promise, when you walk in the footsteps of a spiritual man.

even in a simple matters of life, like where you live, what you wear.

That greatest inheritance is the inheritance that you get as the Child of God.

How great will be the inheritance of the promise of your parents.

Now let us look at how this Abrahams tent is

Genesis 14: 4

4 Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

How many were born in his own house?  318

Now look at this tent where 318 were born when Abraham and Sarah they themselves did not have children.

Look at the heart of tent owners : Abraham and Sarah.

Usually when we are in a lack in a particular area, we will not try to bless others in that area.

But Abraham's is different and his tent is special.

before the son of the promise came, there were others sons that are born in that house.

Not only that Abraham also prayed the Abimilechs kingdom when their wombs were shut.

A tent of Godly man gives birth to many spiritual sons.

Is your tent a host for spiritual sons to be born?

Is your tent just for yourself? 

Abrahams tent has no children of their own, but that did not stop that tent for spiritual sons to be born.

In your lack , what you do to bless others in that area, will inturn bless you and ina greater measure.

Training of the servants

Not only these 318 were born in Abraham's tent, but they were trained.

1 Timothy 4: 7

 7 Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly

2 Timothy 2:1,2

2 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also

Do not be contended that we have a healthy body, everything that we have for the body to be taken care.

D o not be contended that we have tent, the place that we live, but rather check ourselves whether tent gives birth to sons, and that tent raises and trains the next gen?

and also the tent gives the inheritance of promise to the next gen.

Abrahams tent  was special insihgt of God, it was mentioned in the Hebrews 11.