Easter: God The Father And Abraham: Sons Becoming A Sacrifice Series

Well, good morning, and it is amazing to be with you all this morning. Can we just celebrate an empty tomb today? Can we just take a moment and celebrate? Man for me, it is really awesome to be sharing with you this early morning. And as we saw in the series this morning, I also want to reveal an easter egg to you all. We have been seeing the last couple of services that what we thought what easter eggs is not always what it seems. Yes, egg means new life new and we are celebrating easter. But also that some content in the bible interacts with each other. And this morning I want to share the story of Abraham and Isaac and how it points to Jesus and the Father as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Genesis 22:1-6 (HCSB) 1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”“Here I am,” he answered. 2 “Take your son,” He said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” 3 So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the sacrificial knife, and the two of them walked on together.

The story of Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac is one of the most well-known and significant stories in the Bible. Abraham was a man of great faith who lived in ancient Mesopotamia and is considered the father of the Jewish people and a key figure in the Christian and Islamic faiths.

According to the biblical account in Genesis 22, God tested Abraham's faith by asking him to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice on a mountain in the land of Moriah. This was a shocking and difficult request, as Isaac was the son through whom God had promised to bless Abraham and his descendants.

Despite the apparent contradiction between God's promise to make Isaac a great nation and his request for Abraham to sacrifice him, Abraham obeyed God's command without hesitation. He took Isaac up the mountain, built an altar, and prepared to offer his son as a sacrifice. This made no sense, and how does God promise one thing and then seem to take it away?

Just as Abraham was about to carry out the sacrifice, an angel of the Lord stopped him and provided a ram for the sacrifice instead. This obedience demonstrated Abraham's great faith and trust in God's goodness and faithfulness, even in the face of a seemingly impossible request.

Similarly, in the New Testament, God sent his only Son, Jesus, to become a sacrifice for the sins of humanity. This act of love demonstrated God's willingness to go to any lengths to reconcile humanity to himself, and it provided the ultimate expression of faith and obedience to God's will.

The correlation between these two stories highlights the consistency of God's character throughout the Bible and the depth of his love for his people. It also reminds us of the importance of faith and obedience in our relationship with God and of the ultimate provision he has made for us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

Here is the hidden easter egg. I want to look at what is interesting to me. And I want to share it today.

So here is the first easter egg. It is this Sacrifice. In Genesis 22, we read about how God tested Abraham by asking him to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. This was a difficult test; I want you to imagine this giving up your son. Can you imagine God asking you to send your son? Would we be able to do this? Abraham obeyed God and was willing to do what God asked of him. At the last moment, God stopped Abraham and provided a ram for the sacrifice instead.

This story foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Just as Abraham was willing to offer his son, God offered his son Jesus as a sacrifice for the world's sins. John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."