Sermon # 27 - The Supreme Sacrifice Series

We continue to ponder on Psalms 77:11-12, “I will remember your great deeds, LORD; I will recall the wonders you did in the past. I will think about all that you have done; I will meditate on all your mighty acts.” (GNB)

The Psalmist made it his ambition to remember and recall, all of the great deeds and wonders that the Lord had performed in his life. The Bible records the mighty wonders that God did in the past, so that we too can ponder and meditate on them, thereby comprehending all of the awesome acts that God accomplished for His people, and the miraculous ways in which He led them. Often we think much about our present and future, but seldom do we reminisce about the past, to recall the marvelous deeds the Lord has done for us. If our thoughts are entangled only with the present and also with apprehension about the future, we will certainly end up with a whole load of cares and worries.

As we read, consider and meditate on all the awesome acts of God as recorded in the Bible, not only will we comprehend who God is in a deeper way, but as we compare them with our life situations at present, we too will be strengthened in our faith, and be rid of all our fears.

The sacrifice that God provided Abraham

In Genesis 22:13, we read, “Abraham looked around and saw a ram caught in a bush by its horns. He went and got it and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son.” (GNB)

As we delve deeper into the background of the above mentioned verse, not only we will understand who God really is, but also be able to comprehend the significance of the sacrifice that Abraham made.

Abraham was called by God to come out from a land and from a people, who did not know the Lord. God called Abraham to leave all of this behind him, to go to the place that He promised to give him. God also promised Abraham that He would bless him, make his name great, and cause him to become a mighty nation. Abraham had to leave everything behind and move forward, completely trusting in God, in order to be the recipient of God’s promised blessings.

There was a time when Abraham’s wife Sarah was taken by a foreign king, but even there the Lord intervened, and protected Sarah. This was only because Abraham took the step of faith to go where God wanted him to. Abraham had to encounter many ups and downs, but through it all the Lord was faithful, and never let him down. By asking Abraham to step out in faith, the Lord was teaching him to place his complete faith and trust in Him alone.

God promised Abraham that the blessings would be through his offspring, but as Abraham and Sarah waited for many long years, they got impatient, and decided to find a solution through Hagar, which brought untold trouble to them. Abraham failed to realize that the God who promised, was a God who would always keep His word.

For those of us who wonder, if God could not have blessed Abraham right where he was, and what was the purpose of calling him out, it is a lesson the Lord teaches us that He chooses to bless us only when we decide to be those set apart for God. It was the same for Noah too. It was only when he obeyed and walked into the ark, did he receive God’s protection. Many are coveting God’s blessings on their lives, but are unwilling to make any changes to stand out as those who are called out for God. Like Abraham if we trust in the Lord fully, we are assured that we will never be put to shame, no matter what difficulties or perils may befall us, for the Lord will be there to safeguard us at all times.

God has given us wisdom, and it is only in being obedient to His word in every area of our life, doing what is required from us to do that we can experience the true blessings of God in our lives. In times of trials, instead of giving up or finding our own solutions we must persevere in prayer, believing that the Lord is faithful to keep His promise, and not try to run ahead like Abraham did. The Lord is able to accomplish great things for us that are far beyond our thinking and understanding.

Isaac, the son of promise

When Abraham was a hundred years old, he saw the fulfilment of God’s promise when God blessed him with Isaac, whose name meant ‘laughter’. God removed the pain of all those years of waiting, and turned them into sheer joy by giving Isaac to Abraham and Sarah, thereby filling their home with unimaginable joy and laughter.