THE SACRIFICE GENESIS 22:1-14
As you all know so well, this is Easter Sunday, the most important day of the year for Christians. Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the tomb. We celebrate because he defeated death not only for himself but as well for each of us who will but believe and put out trust in him.
So being that this is Easter Sunday you come fully expecting to hear a message about the resurrection. So you might have wondered a bit at the Old Testament scripture passage which was read this morning. You expected something from the New Testament talking about the resurrection.
Well, this Easter we are going to do something a little different. In order to truly appreciate the resurrection of Jesus from the grave you have to first appreciate what put him into that grave! So this morning I want to share a little story with you. It is a story entitled the Sacrifice.
*Abraham walked outside of his tent. He looked up into the sky. What a clear night sky it was! One of those nights you get out in the country, no city lights, no clouds to block our view, and there are so many stars you can’t hardly make out the constellations! You see the Milky Way glowing brightly across the night sky.
Can you imagine what a view Abraham must have had that night? Remember, for Abraham that night there were no city lights in all the world - no pollution - nothing whatsoever to dim the view of the stars. The sky must have been ablaze with starlight!
As Abraham stood staring up into the stars, God said to that old man, who had never produced a single child: "Look up! Number the stars, if you can, and you will number your descendants!" Can you even imagine that?
Can you imagine how that promise from God must have sounded to Abraham? Abraham was an old man! He had no children! His wife Sarah was an old woman - long past child-bearing age - and on top of that, she was barren and always had been! Yet God promised that the descendants of this old man and woman would number as the stars in the sky! That’s crazy!
But old Abraham was just crazy enough to believe God. His belief, his trust in God’s word was counted to him as righteousness.
Abraham believed God’s promise, and in time a child was born to this old man and woman. A fine boy and he was named Isaac, as God had instructed.
It was through this Isaac, this child of Abraham’s and Sarah’s old age that Abraham’s descendants would number as the stars.
The child was dedicated to God by Abraham and Sarah and as the years passed Isaac grew into a fine young man - the pride and love of his parents!
Then one fateful day something happened that threatened their happy existence as a family! God came once more to Abraham and told him that a sacrifice was to be made. A burnt offering was to be made unto God on Mount Moriah. And Abraham’s beloved son, the only child of Abraham and Sarah- the child of Promise - Isaac was to be the sacrifice!
Even the thought of it must have ripped at Abraham’s heart! How could God command Abraham to slay and then burn the body of his own son? The same son from whom the unnumbered line of descendants was to come!
How must Abraham have felt?! How could he possibly sacrifice his beloved child- the pride and love of his life?!
What a struggle must have taken place in Abraham’s heart! He must have wanted so much to talk with someone! But who could he talk to? He couldn’t talk to Sarah. He couldn’t go to Sarah and tell her that God had commanded him to kill her only child - the child of her old age! That would destroy her!
Besides, if he told Sarah of God’s command, she just might talk him out of it; and as terrible as it was, as horrible as it was - Abraham knew he had to be obedient to God! He could tell no one - he could share his burden with no one!
So early the next morning, with his heart being torn apart, Abraham instructed servants to prepare for a journey to go and make a sacrifice unto God.
The servants collected the wood for the sacrifice, the fire in the pot, and the knife; along with all else they would need for the journey.
Abraham told two of the servants that they would be going with him and then he called his son Isaac and said he was also to come along.
Can you imagine the scene in the camp? The questions that must have come to everyone’s mind. Sarah and the others are watching them prepare to go.
She knows they go to make a sacrifice. She sees the wood loaded, she sees the fire and the knife; but where is the lamb? Where is the lamb for the sacrifice? Why have they not gone out to the flock to select the very best for the sacrifice as was the custom?
All the camp must have wondered including the two servants and Isaac. Some of them may even have thought to themselves; "Well, Abraham is getting a little old, maybe he is getting a little senile." But Abraham is master and his orders were to be followed without question so no one dares to speak up.
So Abraham set off with Isaac and two servants. Poor Abraham’s mind must have been in turmoil all the way. They traveled for three days to reach Mount Moriah where the sacrifice was to be made.
All the while as they traveled Abraham must have watched his son. Abraham loved this boy and was proud of him. And I have to believe that even in those three days of travel his love for Isaac must have grown even stronger.
The pain that must have been tearing at Abraham’s heart!
All the while they traveled, Isaac and the servants must have wondered how they would make a sacrifice without a lamb! Finally, on the third day, they reached the foot of the mountain where the sacrifice was to be made.
Abraham told the servants that they were to wait there while he and Isaac went up on the mountain to worship God.
Abraham took the wood and strapped it on Isaac’s back, and then he took the fire pot and the knife and they started up the mountain. Well, finally Isaac could hold back his questions no longer. Isaac spoke: "Father, the fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
It was like a knife stabbed into Abraham’s own heart. He choked out the words: "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." There was great grief in Abraham’s mind for he knew that God had already provided the lamb for the burnt offering - and it was his own son Isaac!
They continued up the mountain and finally they reached the proper spot. Abraham built up an altar of stone. He took the wood from Isaac and arranged it on the altar.
Then he turned and bound his beloved son Isaac and laid him atop the wood on the altar. The terrible moment that had torn at Abraham’s heart for three days and nights had arrived.
Abraham must have wanted so much to pull Isaac off that altar and just run and run until they found someplace they could hide from God! But Abraham knew he had to be obedient to God! He knew he could not run from God! He must do as the Lord commanded! He had to trust that somehow God would make it right!
Abraham took the knife and stood over Isaac. I have to believe that he bent over to kiss his child one last time. He raised the knife high over Isaac. The blow had to be swift and hard in order to be merciful!
Isaac stared up at his father’s face. The knife in Abraham’s hand trembled and started down! Suddenly an angel cried out: "Abraham! Abraham!"
Abraham stopped the knife and answered; "Here I am." The angel spoke: "Do not lay a hand on the boy. 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."
Isaac was saved! Abraham looked up and saw a ram with his horns caught in a bush. God had provided another sacrifice!
For the love of God, Abraham had been willing, no matter how painfully it tore at his heart, to sacrifice his only son.
Today, on this wonderful Easter morning we remember another time when a Father was willing to sacrifice His own son for the love of another. We remember when God was willing to sacrifice His only Son for each one of us!
Abraham suffered with the idea of the sacrifice of Isaac for three terrible days. The terrible pain it brought to his heart. God, the Father has suffered with the the idea of the sacrifice of Jesus since the beginning of time! He knew all along it was going to be necessary one day.
Abraham loved his son, but he was forced to be obedient because of the great love he had for God. He knew he had to trust God - that somehow God would keep His promises to Abraham.
God, in the sacrifice of Jesus, acted out of His great love for each one of us! He acted out of his love for you! He had to trust that we would respond properly to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross!
Tragically- so many of us violate that trust! We violate that trust by refusing to put our faith, our trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation.
Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son for the sake of God. God was not only willing, but He DID sacrifice His only Son for each of us!
Abraham’s hand was stayed by God and another sacrifice was provided. There was no one to stay God’s hand in the sacrifice of Jesus! God’s hand could not be stayed because no other sacrifice could be provided in the place of Jesus! No other sacrifice was sufficient to pay for our sins!
Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, died on the cross on the black day we call Good Friday. It is Good Friday because on that day God did not stay His hand and His only Son bore the weight of our sins in order to provide us with salvation unto eternal life.
All because God loves you and me - loves us enough to not withhold even His only Son from the sacrifice! So loved us then and so loves us even now!
God sacrificed his only Son for your sake and for mine!
Will you allow that sacrifice to be in vain - as least as far as you are concerned?
God made the sacrifice. Jesus Christ died a horrible death on the cross not for his sin, for he had none! He died for your sin and for my sin. He died and was buried in the tomb.
And then in the power of God Almighty he arose from that tomb to live forevermore!
And he offers you that same opportunity. Will you receive the gift of eternal life from the hand of Jesus? Will you walk forward this morning as we sing and declare that His sacrifice was not in vain?
