SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). Abraham's Trial (vs 1-2)
(2). Abrahams Obedience (vs 3-10)
(3). Abraham’s Deliverer (vs 11-14)
(4). Abraham’s Sign.
SERMONBODY:
Ill:
• A young man was studying ornithology (the study of birds];
• And had a tough professor.
• When he came for a test,
• The professor gave him 25 pictures of birds' feet;
• And told him he had to identify which birds they came from.
• The exasperated student said; "I'm not going to do this. Nobody could pass this test!"
• The professor replied; "Then I'll fail you,"
• So the student said. "So fail me,"
• The angry professor replied angrily. "Okay, what's your name?"
• The student took off his shoes and socks and said, "You tell me."
• TRANSITION: None of us like hard tests;
• And true faith is always tested and sometimes those tests seem hard!
• Christians may refer to this incident as Abraham’s greatest test;
• But the Jews call it by another name and have another emphasis!
• Jews call this event the ‘Akedah’ meaning ‘The Binding of Isaac’
• They get that name from verse 9:
“When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.”
• The English translation ‘He bound his son’;
• Is the Hebrew word ‘Akedah’ meaning ‘the binding’
• Most Jews will refer to this incident as the binding of Isaac;
• Whereas Christians often talk about the sacrifice of Isaac.
• Jewish tradition focusses in on the co-operation of Isaac in this event;
• While Christians focus on the role of Abraham in this incident.
• Well this evening we are going to stick with Christian tradition:
• Our focus will be on Abraham;
• And the sacrifice he was willing to make.
Quote:
“Circumstances don't make a man, they reveal him.
Like teabags, our real strength comes out when we get into hot water.”
• It is often through testing that we discover what kind of faith we have.
• Tests of faith are opportunities for growth and victory.
Quote:
“Satan tempts us to bring out the worst in us,
But God tests us to help bring out the best. “
• Abraham has experienced many tests by the time chapter 22 opens,
• But none of them compare to what he is about to face.’
• This test would make demands on Abraham,
• And these demands would run contrary to human reason and to God’s promise.
Ill:
• You know what it is like as a passenger on an airplane;
• When as you come in to land everything is straight forward and comfortable;
• Then suddenly the reverse thrust of the engines is used to bring the plane to a halt.
• TRANSITION: Abraham was about to experience that kind of major shock,
• Everything that God had promise to him was going smoothly;
• But now he is about to be put into reverse gear.
After all those years of looking forward to the birth of Isaac:
• Isaac was not a child;
• Possible a teenager, we was strong enough to carry the wood (vs 6)
• And have intelligent conversation (vs 6-8)
• Many Jewish Rabi’s believe Isaac was 37 years old;
• I will tell you why afterwards if you are really interested!
• But whatever Isaac’s age;
• It now seemed Abraham was about to lose him.
• So this test of obedience would create huge strains of anxiety on Abraham:
• Because logically these demands would run contrary to human reason,
• And also to God’s promise.
(1). Abraham's trial (vs 1-2).
“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
(a). It was a personal test for Abraham.
• Notice he was called by name.
• This was a test for him and him alone
• As far as we know God never repeats this request to anyone else.
(b). It was a lonely test:
• Abraham received his instructions from God,
• And they were not even for sharing with his wife Sarah.
• She was of course the mother of Isaac,
• But she was to play no role in this test,
• Abraham alone would bear the full force of it.
• That would increase the intensity and the drama of the test.
(c). It was a confusing test.
• Although the command from God is clear.
• It was also confusing.
• It did not make sense to Abraham from a heavenly perspective.
• Because the pagan gods demanded human sacrifice,
• Not his God – his God was different to the pagan deities.
• It did not make sense from a human perspective,
• After all God had promised to make from him many dependents,
• And if Isaac is killed then that promise must surely fail.
Notice:
• In case Abraham missed that point look at the descriptive language used in verse 2:
• Note the threefold description given to Abraham:
• “Your son”, “Your only son”, “Isaac , whom you love”.
• The threefold description rules out any possibility of misunderstanding.
• Note: It is important to remember that faith is not reckless,
• This was not Abraham’s idea to sacrifice Isaac to try and prove a point.
• This was a clear command from God,
• So Abraham’s has an agonizing choice to make.
• Does he do what God asks him to do,
• Or does he choose to ignore Him, and refuse to obey?
True to say that:
• There are times in life when your future seems to balance on a single decision?
• Abraham is at that point.
Ill:
• Whether you look at Joseph in prison,
• Moses and Israel at the Red Sea,
• David in the cave,
• Or Jesus at Golgotha,
• The lesson is the same:
• We live by promises, not by explanations.
• In those times we trust in the character of God and in his word!
(e). It was an emotional test.
• At this point in time:
• Abraham the proud father has a special relationship with his son.
• Remember Isaac was the child of his old age, the laughter of his life.
• Both Abraham and Sarah had built their whole future around him.
• Nothing else in the circumference of their lives, compared to Isaac.
• This test struck at the very core of Abraham.
• We know with hindsight of course,
• God did not want Isaac’s life; he wanted Abraham’s heart.
• But never forget as we read these verses,
• Abraham didn’t know that!
(2). Abrahams obedience (vs 3-10).
• When you think of the size of the task God has asked Abraham to do:
• I am amazed how quickly and obediently Abraham responds.
• There appears to be no hesitation, no long winded debate;
• Just simple obedience – God commanded it and Abraham will obey it.
There are three wonderful things to note about his obedience.
(1). It was immediate (vs 3-4).
3Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.
4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance
• Verse 3: “Early the next morning”
• Question: Did he arise early to avoid Sarah and not have to explain what he was doing?
• Personally I do not think so.
• I believe Abraham did not drag his heels in wanting to obey God.
• So he didn’t try to drag out his obedience to God’s command.
• By leaving as late as he could.
• He didn’t try to bargain, or rationalize, or argue with God;
• Abraham instantly obeys!
ill:
• Just imagine Abraham’s feelings as he made that journey:
• It is about 70 kilometers (45 miles) from Beersheeba to Jerusalem.
• The journey would take them two full days and part of the third.
• Because of his age Abraham rode on an ass,
• The others (2 servants & Isaac) walked.
• That meant Abraham had almost 3 days;
• To ponder and think about this puzzling situation.
• Imagine how Abraham must have felt as he saw the outline of Moriah on the horizon,
• Each moment of the journey, must have weighed heavily on his heart and mind.
• After all, his only son whom he loved was about to killed.
(2). It was based on faith (vs 5-8).
5He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there.
WE will worship and then WE will come back to you.”
• Question: As he climbed Mount Moriah with his son, what could Abraham depend on?
• Answer: Faith, trust in God’s character and promise.
(a).
• He certainly could not depend on his feelings,
• He must have experienced a terrible pain within, as he contemplated slaying his son.
(b).
• He could not depend on other people.
• Sarah was at home,
• And he left the two servants who accompanied him back at the camp.
(c). Abraham would rest on God’s promises.
• Abraham would rest on God’s promise,
• Not his feelings and not even on other people, but his God.
• And that was the only thing he needed
• Quote: “Faith does not demand explanations; faith rests on promises”.
Notice what he says in verse 5:
“WE will worship and then WE will come back to you.”
• Abraham did not know how,
• But he was confident, he believed;
• That both he and Isaac would not only go and worship, but both of them would return.
• Isaac was going to be sacrificed?
• But Abraham had no intentions of bringing back a corpse!
More insight: in the book of Hebrews chapter 11 verses 17-19:
7By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
Abraham applied both faith and logic to the situation:
• He knew God had promised him descendants through Isaac.
• And if Abraham had learned anything in life, it was that God keeps His word!
• So, Abraham reasons, if Isaac is to be killed,
• God must be planning to raise him from the dead.
• Abraham knew from personal experience that God would not lie,
• So he rested in His unchanging promises.
Quote:
“Never doubt in the dark what God has told you in the light.”
• In the midst of this incredible test,
• Abraham’s faith never wavers.
• Abraham had no intentions of bringing back a corpse!
• He trusted God to work something out.
(3). It was thorough and complete (vs 9-10).
9When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
• Verse 10 is almost a succession of snapshots,
• There is a scarcity of descriptive language.
• We are simply given the basic facts,
• We are taken step by step by step until we reach the critical moment.
Ill:
• Snapshot 1: The top of the mountain is reached:
• Snapshot 2: The altar is built,
• Snapshot 3: the wood arranged;
• Snapshot 4: Then last of all Isaac is bound and laid on the altar.
Worth noting:
• Isaac’s role in all of this,
• Nowhere is there record that Isaac argued or even struggled against his father.
• Physically he was stronger and so quite easily ran away from his aged father,
• But instead he submitted.
• He, too, trusted and obeyed.
• This is a profound tribute to a strong father-son relationship.
Verse 6 & 8 is a good summary of their relationship:
• “As the two of them went on together”,
• The fact that these words are repeated twice is quite intentional.
• The writer wants us to know that Abraham did not use force on Isaac.
• Isaac willingly accompanied his father.
(3). Abraham’s Deliverer (vs 11-14).
• These verses give us a great insight into God the Father;
• A God who is not distant or uncaring.
(a). Jehovah intervenes (Vs 10-12):
10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
• This is such a dramatic verse, it is so intense:
• Abraham stands with his arm extended upward over his son,
• Knife poised, ready to plunge.
• And he would have done it as well,
• But just in time God breaks in
Verses 11-12:
But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
• Abraham has passed the test:
• He had already sacrificed Isaac in his heart,
• And therefore he had met God’s requirements exactly,
(b). Jehovah provides (vs 13-14):
Obedience always brings a blessing, a reward:
• If we do the one thing God tells us to do,
• He will reveal the next step when the right time comes.
• And so with Abraham;
• His eyes are directed to the ram caught by its horns in a bush.
Verse 13:
13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.”
• God’s answers never arrive a minute too late!
• God supplied a ram just when one was needed.
Quote:
“God is never late he just does not operate according to our timescale!”
Verse 14:
14So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
Abraham called the name of the place “Jehovah-Jireh”:
• “The Lord will see to it!” the word “Jireh” means “see”.
• Or as it is more commonly translated; “The Lord will provide”.
• The idea is that the Lord who sees the need,
• Will also see to it that the need is met by his own divine provision.
3 things to note about Gods provision:
(1).
• Question: Where does the Lord provide our needs?
• Answer: In the place of His assignment.
• Abraham was at the right place,
• So God could meet his needs.
• We have no right to expect the provision of God if we are not in the will of God.
• Quote Hudson Taylor: “God’s will done in God’s way, never lacks God’s provision”.
• God is not obligated to bless my ideas or projects,
• But He is obligated to support His work if it is done in His way.
(2).
• Question: When does God meet our needs?
• Answer: When the time is right.
• Sometimes it looks like God waits until the last minute to send help,
• But that is only from our human point of view. God is never late.
Quote R.T. Kendell:
“God’s timing is never too early, it’s never to late, it is always right on time”.
• God’s answers never arrive a minute too late!
• God supplied a ram just when one was needed.
(3).
• Question: How does God provide for us?
• Answer: Often in ways that are usually quite natural.
• God did not send an angel with a sacrifice:
• He simply allowed a ram to get caught in a bush at a time;
• At a time when Abraham needed it,
• And in a place where Abraham could get his hands on it.
• All Abraham needed was one animal,
• So notice that God did not send a whole flock of sheep.
(c). Jehovah rewards (Vs 15-18):
15The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you (literally reads ‘bless you, bless you’ a double emphasis) and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
• For a second time the Lord reiterated his blessing on Abraham and his descendents.
• Note: This is the last time that God spoke directly to Abraham,
• So he summed up all his previous promises and enlarged on them.
• Don’t miss that last line: “because you have obeyed me.”
• Abraham’s faithfulness will result in Abraham’s fruitfulness!
“I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore”
(4). Abraham’s Sign.
• This event is a wonderful type, a shadow, a picture of Jesus Christ,
• There are at least 10 lovely parallels:
(1). Both Isaac and Christ were promised sons;
• Genesis chapter 17:
• Abraham & Sarah were promised a son.
• Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14 :
• "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel."
(2). Both were born miraculously
• Isaac born when Abraham was 100 years old.
• Christ was born of the Virgin Mary and was sinless.
(3). Both brought joy to the heart of the father;
• Abraham & Sarah ‘laughed’ Genesis chapter 21.
• Jesus at his Baptism: “This is…..in whom I am well pleased”.
(4). Both were born at the set time.
• Abraham waited over 30 years, for God to say the time is right.
• Galatians chapter 4 verse 4: “When the time had fully come”.
(5). Both were ONLY sons.
• Genesis chapter 22 verse 2: “Your son”, “Your only son”, “Isaac , whom you love”.
• John chapter 3 verse 16: “…His one and only Son”
(6). Both were obedient unto death.
• Abraham said in verse 5 they were going “to worship”.
• The word translated as worship means “to bow down.”
• In this and in every case true worship is when we bow down to God’s will.
• We worship when we do what God has asked us to do.
(7). Both carried a burden.
• Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice (vs 6),
• Jesus would carry his wooden cross (John chapter 19 verse 17).
(8). Both sons ask a question:
• Isaac questioned his father, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (vs 7b)
• And Jesus asked, “My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
(9). Both died.
• Jesus Christ actually died, physically
• While Isaac was spared, the New Testament tells us that he died symbolically..
• In God’s sight Isaac had “died.”
• Hebrews chapter 11 verse 19 says that “in a figure”
• (that is, symbolically) Isaac was raised from the dead.
(10). Both sons have an important reunion.
• Verse 19 indicates that Abraham returned to the waiting servants,
• But nothing is said about Isaac.
• This too is a type;
• For the next time we see Isaac, he is receiving his bride!
• (Genesis chapter 24 verse 62)
• Even so Christ gave Himself on the cross and went back to heaven,
• And one day will come forth to receive His Bride, the church.
• (Revelation chapter 19 verses 7-9 & chapter 21 verses 1-2.
In Conclusion:
• In this story we see a beautiful picture, a type, a shadow of the sacrifice of Jesus;
• But its main focus is on Abraham and his greatest test.
• In this chapter Abraham teach how to face and handle tests of life.
• First: Expect tests from God.
• Second: Focus on promises not explanations.
• Third: Depend on God’s provision.
• Fourth: Seek to glorify Christ.
Sermon Audio:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=xTPVQcMZ6BHoWk3pMIX1unkNWXy3wjr4&forceSave
