A Few Good Men & Women

A Few Good Men &Women

Genesis 22:1-18 (NLT)

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.Three military recruiters were on hand to address a gathering of high school seniors. The recruiters represented different branches of the military: Army, Navy, and Marines and each of was given fifteen minutes to speak.

.The Army and Navy recruiters got a little carried away with their presentations, so when it came time for the Marine to speak, he had just two minutes.

.He walked up and stood utterly silent for a full sixty seconds, half of his time, staring out at the students. Then he said this:

."I doubt whether there are two or three of you in this room who could even cut it in the Marine Corps. But I want to see those two or three immediately in the dining hall when we are dismissed."

.He turned smartly around and sat down. When the students were dismissed, they literally mobbed the Marine requesting applications.

.The recruiting motto of the US Marine Corp’s is: “We’re looking for a few good men”

. In today's society, it should be We're looking for a few good men and women or a few good people.

. Guess what, God is also looking for a few good men and women.

.2 Chronicles 16:9 tells us this:

. 9The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him...

. God is looking for a few good people that He can depend on.

. We are back in Genesis this morning and if you remember over these last few months, there have only been a few people that God could depend on.

.Two really stand out up to this point.

. One was Enoch, who the Bible says in Gen. 5:24 that:

Enoch lived 365 years,24walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.

. Enoch walked with God. This wasn’t just a casual walk in the park, but rather an intimate continual relationship with God that ultimately led to his being one of only two people mentioned in Scripture who never died (Elijah was the other one), but instead went immediately into God’s presence.

. The other was Noah. God tells us this in Gen 6:8:

. 8But Noah found favor with the LORD.

. Wickedness was everywhere in the world. It was so bad that God saw fit to destroy mankind, all except Noah and his family. That's because Noah believed God and had faith in Him.

. Then along comes Abraham and he stands head and shoulders above the rest so far.

. Aside from Jesus and Moses, Abraham is probably the most important man in all of scripture.

. Abraham was going to be so significant in God's plan that God sought him out. He gave him promises of land and descendants that would be a blessing to the whole world.

. God promised he was going to make Abraham the father of a great nation and make his name would become great. Abraham would receive a special protection of God and not only was he to be blessed by God, but everybody on earth who would ever be blessed by God, was to blessed because of Abraham.

.How did Abraham rate such an honor?

.Because the eyes of the Lord had run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those who were loyal to Him.

. God saw something in Abraham, He saw his faith.

. Our scripture this morning has been used since it happened as an example of the faith that God is looking for.

. Lets read our scripture. The example of Abrahams faith.

. Genesis 22:1-18

1Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.

2“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

3The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.

4On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

5“Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will jworship there, and then we will come right back.”

6So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together,