In my life I have shared in the past that I was an infantry soldier. If there is one thing I have not forgotten is the sound of my first squad leader’s voice from active duty. He was from the Philippines and he had an accent to match that background.
He would say Fosta… what you doing Fosta… get ova hea and clean dat wepon! Fosta you call dat clean. Go back and clean some moa! So I would spend hours cleaning that weapon and man it sometimes took all day and I was already tired from the training we had done with that weapon and all I wanted to do was relax. But you know what, over time I got really good at cleaning that weapon. I could clean others weapons just as well. I carried an M203 with a grenade launcher attached under the barrel. I could put a HE round in a window from 75 meters away. I was trained very well and did the best I could always.
Well I didn’t know it, but eventually the call came for action. I was called up on the morning of Dec. 20th 1989 to go to Panama, South America for the invasion called Operation Just Cause. We were going to overtake the dictator Noriega who was not a very good leader. I remember landing in the main airport in Panama and it was all shot up from the initial wave of Army Rangers and 82nd Airborne Division. As soon as it was secure our C-130 airplanes landed on the runway and others in the area and thousands of troops were right behind us.
The story I want to share with you this morning from Genesis 22 is very similar to a situation that I had during the Invasion in Panama. We were lined up to do missions with Army Special Forces and our job was security to pick up known terrorists and drug cartels in the country. Well we received a mission to go pick up a very bad man who was known to have guns and drugs so we had two Special Forces soldiers attached to our squad to accomplish the mission. We were told it was pretty far into the jungle and we were going to go in, in the evening to use the element of surprise to our advantage.
It was in fact as described when we headed to this man’s location which was also his home residence. We got there and searched the premises but no one was home. The Special Forces soldiers shared with us that this didn’t mean he wasn’t hiding so we were to be very cautious as we left.
Well my squad leader designated me to be the trail gunner as we left and I counted guys as the guys were coming out of the jungle. I remember it was pitch dark and as I did a head count I was one short. And no one was there. So I was just sitting there waiting wondering what was going on as there should be one more.
It seemed like an eternity and I starting thinking something was wrong and how possibly this guy could have taken out our last guy. Then I thought… I am pretty much alone as the squad had already advanced up the trail behind me going back to our hummer. And I was there waiting…
I am glad that I listened to that small voice in my heart telling me not to fire. It was intense and I could have died that night in the jungle and so could my fellow soldier.
As I read about Abraham and Isaac listen but also think about the obedience it took for Abraham to listen to God’s instruction and also think about how that obedience was used by God to grow Abraham’s faith.
Read Genesis 22:1-18
Abraham and Son Isaac – it’s not just a story but a practical application from the lord for believers. I have only one really good situation in my life that is close to this and I shared that at the beginning of the message. One of the main applications of God’s Word for us this morning is in reference to obedience. I learned obedience in the Army really quick when it came to being a soldier. Why? If I didn’t then there would be clear consequences right? I think that is another message…
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1. God calls and requires us to obedience.
John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
John 14:21 “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
Proverbs 13:13 “He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded.” (He also rewards it!), and in Luke 11:28 we are told He blesses those people as well.
We talked about a new year, 2013 last week… how about rewards and blessings this year? Anyone up for those? Well how do we get them? It tells us right here, obey God’s commands… let me rephrase that… be obedient to the Words in the Bible and you will be rewarded and blessed!
How about that for Hope and Encouragement for this year?!?! You have a Bible… read it… listen to it.. and apply it THIS YEAR!
I want to make something very clear this morning when it comes to obedience verses temptations ok? Fill in the blank ok?
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2. God tests our obedience, He doesn’t tempt us.
God does not tempt us… as temptation comes from sin. Is there any sin in God? Nope! But… He will test us, and try us.
Look at James 1:1-4 with me.
But here is the best part about all of this… the Lord will test us to build us up as He built up Abraham through these tests. He built up his faith in the Lord. But also, even when we are tempted by Satan which will happen, what does God’s Word promise us? Does anyone know what God’s Word says about temptations?
1 Corinthian 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
Remember what we learned last week in Genesis 1:1? How did that go again? “In the beginning, God, created the heavens and the earth.” Last week we learned that He created it, He sustains it and He is also at work in it right?
So in life do you ever wonder what is the world is going on? Why do all these bad things happen to me if I am a Christian? Well, let’s relate this back to our main guy Abraham in Genesis 22 ok?
Abraham didn’t have an easy life. The spiritual life of Abraham was marked by four great crises, each of which involved a surrender of something very near and dear to him.
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Abrahams Sacrificial Life:
(1) He was told to leave his home and family!
Gen. 12:1 “The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”
Mt. 10:37-38 ““Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
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(2) Separation from his favorite nephew
His nephew, Lot; especially dear to Abraham by nature, as a possible heir and as a fellow believer. The completeness of Abraham’s separation from one who, though a believer was not worthy to receive Abrahams inheritance. Abraham even said himself to the Lord that he didn’t have an heir and that his son to a slave girl would have to be his heir. Of course God had plans to have Sarah get pregnant and have Isaac.
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(3) His own plan about Ishmael
Gen 17:18-21 “And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”
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(4) Isaac to be the sacrifice
"thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest" in Gen 22:1-19, Hebrew 11:17, 18.
Historical Impressions
If we look at the historical side of this heartfelt and challenging situation there is a big reason why the Lord had Abraham go through it for the early believers. Just like we talked last week about there being many different beliefs in the world, there were different beliefs back in Abraham’s time. There were people who did sacrifice their children for their gods.
Take a look at Deut. 12:31 & Lev. 18:21.
But there are other things to understand in this verse. If we go back to Abraham and see when he received the call from the Lord, it is very clear that the Lord spoke to him directly and without any extra fancy words for fanfare.
Do we get calls from the Lord? I say we do for sure. When we read the Word of God, He tells us things. He tells us that He loves us and He wants to spend time with us. Last week He told us that even though there is a world out there with all kinds of Gods… He is the great creator. He is the way. And He is the ONLY way.
Today He is telling us that if we are obedient to Him that we will be rewarded as well as blessed… have you heard Him today already?
Do we follow His call? Do we do it with confidence?
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3. God teaches us by testing us.
In Genesis 22:1-2, we learn that we are never exempt from trials. In the original Hebrew text, to tempt, and to try, or to prove, are expressed by the same word. But God tested Abraham, not to draw him to sin, as Satan tempts.
Strong faith is often tested with trials and through difficult and uncomfortable situations. The command to offer up his son is given in such language as makes the trial more difficult; every word here is a sword to Abraham’s ears.
Let’s observe a couple things here from the text ok?
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Why was it so hard for Abraham to listen?
1. The person to be offered
Take thy son; not thy bullocks and thy lambs. How willingly would Abraham have parted with them all to redeem Isaac!
Abraham take your son; not your servant. Take your only son, your only son by Sarah. Take Isaac, THAT son whom you waited basically all your life for and that you love so very, very much.
2. The place where it is done
Three days’ journey off; so that Abraham might have time to consider, and might deliberately obey. I had just a couple of seconds to consider when to listen to my NCO or SGT but only a millisecond to deliberate whether to fire the shot. Abraham had time to contemplate, to pray, to seek and try to find a way around the inevitable sacrifice. I could imagine that type of thing being grievous to even think about, none the less to contemplate for a couple of days during travel.
3. The manner of the sacrifice
Offering him for a burnt-offering; not only kill his son, his Isaac, but kill him as a sacrifice; kill him with all that solemn pomp and ceremony, with which he used to offer his burnt-offerings to the Lord. I know what my first response would be… NO! A thousand times NO! But, never do we see or hear Abraham say that do we?
God blesses us by the same things! Sometimes we hear him and in the flesh what do we want to say?
Do I want to come to church Sunday mornings sometimes? No
Do I want to listen when God says, tithe, even when money is tight? No
Do I want to read God’s Word every day for a year? No, not every day if I am being honest.
Do I want to pray for my enemies?
Be at church more than just Sunday to sing or play an instrument or teach little children when they are so cute and sometimes… can I say it out loud… even when they are not little angels? Honestly, No, not every week.
It takes sacrifice. It takes listen to the Lord when He calls… And it definitely takes relying on Him when we don’t have the energy or the passion every time we need it.
I remember after the invasion in Panama when we got home we had a homecoming celebration and I remember watching my friend go over and hug his wife and two children.
I was so glad that I had listened to my heart instead of just reacting in the flesh that night in the jungles of Panama.
And I am glad that Abraham listened to God the Father as it grew his faith and is a great example for us to listen to our heavenly Father, even when it doesn’t make sense to our flesh or the rest of the world. I look forward to meeting Abraham in heaven and thanking him for the example he set for us in the Bible amen?
Let’s Pray!
