Everything You Need To Know You Learned from Your Childhood Bible Stories
“Abraham and Isaac”
Genesis 22:1-19
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?
Illustration: I know a man who wants to be a preacher and a GM at his present job.
Transitional Element: Sacrifice begins when we concede ourselves to a worthy cause. Secondly a true sacrifice, by its very definition, must cost us something. Yes, There is a concession to be made, but Secondly...
II. Sacrifice means there is a Cost to be Paid.
The cost you are willing to pay is a measure of your faith and faithfulness to God. It is what differentiates you from the world
James 2:18-24 “But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." 19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” “Ministry” that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing
A. The sacrificial cost must be counted.
TEXT vs2 :” 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.”
2. Might you have to pay such a cost?
Luke 14:26-33 “26 If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 "Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ’This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 "Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 "Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”
3. Don’t waste your time in a sacrificeless Christian walk.
4. To be a follower of the Crucified Christ means, sooner or later, a personal encounter with the cross. And the cross always entails loss.
B. The sacrificial cost is rewarded.
Hebrews 11:17-19 “17 By faithAbraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, "IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED." 19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.
1. This was not the first cost Abraham was asked to pay.
TEXT: 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."
Illustration: Mr. Schwab athe Bethlehem steel milllionaire gives but receives no pleasure. Not giving at all
Transitional Element: The Story of Abraham tells us that Sacrifice begins with concession, that is, denying ourselves, it must then cost us something. There is a concession to be made, There is a cost to be paid, and finally...
III. Sacrifice means there is a Commitment to be Braved.
Committment in the Bible usually points out that we are too committed to sin. Abraham did not simply agree, he acted.
1. The World preaches commitment to one thing: Yourself - Evolution does not damage??
A. A sacrificial committment is Godward.
Matthew 22:37-39 “And He said to him, " ’YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment.”
Rom 12:1-2 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
1. Your life’s goals are God’s goals for your life.
2. Your worldview is God’s worldview.
3. Your time is time to serve God.
4. Your money is God’s money.
5. Ultimately, Your Agenda must be God’s Agenda.
6. If you are not sold out, your a sell out.
7. Could you do what Abraham did? Be committed enough to sacrifice that which is most precious
Illustration: Abraham committment to God became a blessing to all mankind.
B. A sacrificial committment is manward.
Matthew 22:39 “The second is like it, ’YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
Eph esians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
1. We have been called to a committment of evangelism.
2 Corinthians 5:19-21 “He hascommitted to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
2. We are called to have the name of Jesus on our lips and the example of Jesus in our step.
3. We cannot serve God without serving man in this way.
Transitoinal Element: Sacrifice means being called to a commitment to God and man.
Conclusion: To What Sacrifice has God called you to?
1 Peter 2:4-5 “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1. Have you come to the living stone? Have you come to the sacrifice of the cross. The Story of Abraham and Isaac was God giving us a living example of the painful sacrifice to come. God said that Abraham would be blessed and that all nations would be blessed through one of his descendents. That descendent was Jesus Christ. And like Abraham was to Sacrifice his begotten son, God did sacrifice his only begotten son. He made that sacrifice for you and for me. And though Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for us. We all need to recognize this morning that all who follow after Christ must also make a sacrifice.
a. You need to realize that there is a concession to be made, that you need to deny yourself by Confessing Jesus as your Lord.
b. You need to realize that there is a cost to be paid by repenting of your sinful ways and following God’s ways.
c. Finally you need to realize that the is a commitment to be braved that begins with your covenant relationship in baptism and is sealed by the gift of the Holy Spirit that is “Christ living in you.”
Won’t you come to the cross today.
