There is a story about a monastery in Europe perched high on a cliff several hundred feet in the air. The only way to reach the monastery was to be suspended in a basket which was pulled to the top by several monks who pulled and tugged with all their strength. Obviously the ride up the steep cliff in that basket was terrifying.
One tourist got exceedingly nervous about half-way up as he noticed that the rope by which he was suspended was old and frayed. With trembling voice, he asked the monk who was riding with him in the basket how often they changed the rope. The monk thought for a moment and answered brusquely, "Whenever it breaks."
Faith is as good as the object of your faith. It really does not matter how much faith this person has, but whether the rope can really hold him. It is not really matter how capable we are or how good the circumstance may be… it all depends on who our God is. What kind of a God do we have….
We’ve now come to the 3rd experience of Abraham, recorded in Hebrews 11. We’ve seen Abraham’s faith in God growing and growing, over each experiences and over time. Now, he comes to the point where he can fully trust God. His faith was not based on how good he is, how good the situation is… His faith is based on his understanding of God’s nature - WHO He is.
· He knows that God is all-loving, even though he was asked to do something quite absurd.
· He learns that God is all-powerful, and can fulfill His promise even if it looks impossible.
· He knows that God would use His power to act in his best interests. "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Pet 5:7)
How can we see that? In this incident, found in Genesis 22. God tested him and asked him to do something incomprehensible. Offer up his only son Isaac. Because of His faith in God, Abraham was prepared to do that. No longer did he laughed at what God said. He did not ask WHY, HOW, WHAT FOR….
I can imagine the mental struggle that Abraham must have. Yet he did not doubt God - God must have His purpose; He is still a loving God; He is faithful and will fulfill what He has promised. God can make a way where there seemed to be no way. And with that kind of faith, Abraham got up early next morning and prepare for the trip. He cut enough wood for the burnt offering and saddled his donkey. Took two of his servants and started his journey. God asked him to offer up his son on a mountain in Moriah, and it would take him 3 days.
That 3 days must be difficult days. He has many opportunities to turn back. He has many chances to question God and disobey Him. He has a long time to think through. Yet step by step he moved on. I believe the bible described that struggle on purpose, in Heb 11:17-19 "17…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."
How can God be fulfilling His promise if Isaac is dead? Abraham did not ask. Verse 19 describes to us the inner workings of Abraham’s faith. "19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead…" In other words, Abraham must have been thinking… And his conclusion is this - that even if Isaac is dead, God can still fulfill His promise by raising him back to life. In fact, He believed in God’s power. I believe he was the first person in the bible to believe that God can raise the dead.
So in his heart, he was all prepared to offer up Isaac. In his mind, Isaac was as good as dead. Therefore the bible says, "figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death." (v.19). When God stopped him, it was like his son coming back to life again.
The text did not say that Abraham knew God would do it; he simply thought it was possible. His mind was on God, not on himself and the difficult situation he is in. The bible says, "With God, all things are possible." (Matt 19:26). Abraham didn’t need any other possible answer. He just needed one - that God is able.
Bro/Sis, look again to God. He is able… able to help you, strengthen you… able to give you peace, and a hope… able to hold you up and sustain you in all that you are going through. Don’t look at your problem… look to Him. If God can give Abraham his son Isaac at age 100, God can do it again. If God has proven Himself true in the past, then Abraham (and we) can know that He can do it again today.
When Abraham says, "God was able to raise men from the dead", he is saying, "This whole situation is God’s problem. God will work it out."
Very often, we rationalise our way into disobedience. We look at the situation, and after thinking through, we end up disobeying God. Because we find many reasons why we should not go ahead. We give excuses why God’s command is difficult to follow.
Abraham reasoned his way into obedience. After thinking through he end up saying, "Well, God can raise the dead!" He believed God and trusting Him completely.
In fact, on his way there his son asked him, "Where’s the lamb?", Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." (Gen 22:8). That’s faith speaking. And indeed, God did provide a lamb. Abraham named the mountain, "God will provide." God has proven again to be faithful and true.
Notice something else - God isn’t interested in human sacrifice. God was interested in Abraham’s heart. The Bible tells us very clearly God gave Abraham this instruction as a test. You see, that’s how our faith in God can grow strong - through tests in life. God wanted to test what was in Abraham’s heart. God was asking him for something very precious - his son, "whom he love" God said (Gen 22:2), and we see Abraham had the faith to give it.
Abraham’s faith enabled him to see into the future -
· to see that there will come a time when God will make a way when there seemed to be no way.
· that God loves us and will act in our best interests, for our good.
· that God will surely provide for what we need.
God is not out to make lives difficult for us. He wants to help us grow…
Sometimes, God want us to let go of some things… things that may have taken the place of God. In the NT, we were told to be wary of the love of money… Jesus warns that we cannot "serve both God and money" at the same time (Luke 16:13). There may be "Isaacs" in our lives that God may be challenging us to let go of. Things that may have taken the place of God. And we are holding on tightly to them. We’re putting all our faith in them and not in God. How do we know? Through tests - Abraham’s test - meant to help us grow strong, and not to destroy us.
Corrie Ten Boom (suffered in German concentration camp under the Nazis):
We enjoy God’s richest blessings when we learned to hold everything loosely. If you grasp them tightly in your hand, then the Lord would have to pry your fingers away, and it would hurt. When we live with open hands, God doesn’t have to pry our grip. God wants us to hold everything – whatever matters most – loosely, and to be prepared with that same opened hand to receive greater blessings from Him.
Let’s learn from Abraham. Think about God - WHO He is, WHAT He can do. Some problems are God’s problem.
Don’t take everything into your own hands. Some things, God will do. Even if it seems impossible to you, it is possible to Him. Leave it to Him. Trust His power and His provision. He may probably solve the problem in a very diffferent way, one we may never think of.
FAITH IS GIVING TO HIM EVEN THAT WHICH IS MOST PRECIOUS TO YOU
We can all grow in our faith just like Abraham.
· obeying God even when you don’t understand it
· believing Him even when you can’t see it, and
· giving to Him even that which is most precious to us.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
...Jim Elliot, Missionary, Martyr (1927-1956).
God will bless us, like Abraham, with a blessing that no one else can give. With a blessing that this world cannot give.
Gladys Aylward, missionary to China more than 50 years ago, was forced to flee when the Japanese invaded Yangcheng. But she couldn’t leave her work behind. With only one assistant, she led a hundred-plus orphans over the mountains toward Free China.
During Glaydy’s harrowing journey out of war-torn Yangcheng - she grappled with despair as never before. Ater passing a sleepless night, she faced the morning with no hope of reaching safety. A thirteen-year-old girl in the group reminded her of their much-loved story of Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea.
"But I am not Moses," Gladys cried in desparation.
"Of course you aren’t," the girl said, "but Jehovah is still God!"
Source: The Hidden Price of Greatness, By Besson and Hunsicker. as recounted in How to Start a Church Fire, Paul Powell published by Texas Baptist Leadership Center, Inc. Dallas TX.
