Abraham & Isaac: A Picture Of Faith In Action Series

- For most of us, this is not a new concept, but it is one we quickly forget or fail to apply. We want the good life 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We want our lives to have the same nickname as New Orleans: the big easy. We want our lives to be the big easy. And sometimes life is easy. Sometimes we go through periods when it seems like nothing is going wrong. And that’s okay; but we learn more about who we are and who our faith is in when the big easy is flipped upside down.

- The extent and magnitude of Abraham’s faith and trust in God is revealed in this test. And the extent and magnitude of our faith and trust in God is revealed when God allows tests into our lives. Maybe it is the test of sickness, or financial loss, family problems, or issues on the job. Or maybe some of those things are happening simply as a part of life on an imperfect planet and God is not testing us at all; but he will still use those situations in our lives for our own good and for his glory.

- Now I want us to notice just how much Abraham trusted God in this situation. To this point Abraham’s trust has gone up and down like the world’s best roller coaster. Now his faith is unwavering. He is convinced God is going to provide a way to save Isaac and thus preserve the promised seed. He was so convinced that Hebrews 11:17-19 says this: By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. Even if, for some unthinkable reason, God allowed Isaac to die Abraham believed God would bring him back from the dead. Whatever happened, Abraham knew Isaac wasn’t going anywhere. What a turn around from the up and down trust of a few chapters ago!

- This is what authentic faith looks like in real life. This is putting your money where your mouth is, so to speak. This is not only saying you believe God is good, gracious, perfect, and yet holy and just; but living like those truths are the heartbeat of your soul. And this is why God does what he does; so that when his people respond like Abraham, he is magnified as God.

- When people watch us going through our “Isaac test”, whatever it is, with unwavering faith in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit uses that to draw some to repentance and faith. The greatest gospel testimony we can give to the people around us is not merely following God when life is good, but relentlessly pursuing him when life is horrible, or when we must endure a test of faith.

- When people see that, they know we’re the genuine article. And they wonder where it comes from because if they know us at all they know it doesn’t come from us. Then we point them to God, the giver of life. So God reveals the authenticity of our faith by testing it; and secondly:

GOD REQUIRES OUR WILLINGNESS TO DO WHATEVER HE ASKS OF US