Sermon Central
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Abraham And Isaac Series
Contributed by Jeff Wickert on Jun 18, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: From a sermon series that helps us understand what God was trying to get us to understand in all those well known stories from the Bible. This one is on Spiritual Sacrafice.
Everything You Need To Know You Learned from Your Childhood Bible Stories
“Abraham and Isaac”
Introduction:
A. series recap, greatness..
1. Naoh/Sacrific, Daniel/Survival, David/Success, Abraham/Sacrifice.
2. Sacrifice is something that our modern country knows little about.
Illustration: The National Guard Troops having to go to Iraq.
Illustration: Wife who tells husband he is going to die.
B. Sacrifice. The only thing most of us know about sacrifice is how to spell the word!”
1The great symbol of Christianity means sacrifice and no one who calls himself a Christian can evade this stark fact.
TEXT: Genesis 22:1-19
“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, " Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 5 Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you." 6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8 Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 12 He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." 13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided."
15 Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, " By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 " In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.
Proposition: As God’s children, we must recognize the need of spiritual sacrifice in our life in Christ.
I. Sacrifice means there is a Concession to be Made.
A. A sacrificial concession starts with a cause.
1. Abraham’s cause was to listen for and to God’s Voice. TEXT vs 1, 11 “Here I am”
2. Our sacrifice will not happen if we do not see the cause.
3. What is your cause of being here?
B. A sacrificial concession is self-denial.
Matthew 16:24-26 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?
