To Those that are Obedient
I. Introduction
Obedience to God is the key to living a life of faith and uprightness before Him. Obedience can be defined as compliance, agreement, submission, respect, duty, conformity, while the opposite of obedience is simply non or dis of all those words that we just mentioned.
Total and absolute surrender to the will and way of God for our lives is the only desire that God has for us. Though people tell us that God desires for us to make up our own minds, i.e. free will, there is no option with obedience. Anything other than following God’s will and way for our lives is simply disobedience. This may seem to be a contradiction, yet, God already knows what you’ll do with His Son, His Word, and His Way for your life.
Your heart and desires are known by God. The heart of man according to the prophet Jeremiah:
(Jeremiah 17:9) The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."
If we were to stop, and begin opening gifts according to what God examines in your mind, or according to your conduct or even according to what your deeds deserve, what do you think you would receive?
Would you receive the good gift (bread)? Or, would you be the one receiving the stone or the snake? Remember what it says in scripture?
(Matthew 7:8-11) “For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
Our scripture today can be divided into three sections:
God reveals His will to those that are obedient, vv. 1-2
God reveals His way to those that are obedient, vv. 3-14
God reveals His blessings to those that are obedient, vv. 15-24
II. The Message
A. God reveals His will to those that are obedient, vv. 1-2
1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. 2 Then 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."
-God Asks
=He Speaks to YOU
God called out simply speaking the name Abraham. Abraham answered, “Here I am.” Well, yea, God knows everything, so He should know where Abraham is. Yes, that’s true, but does Abraham know where Abraham is? What does that mean? We see TWO things that are demonstrated by Abraham’s response and his life that he led. We see Heart Condition and Faith Condition.
-=Heart Condition
In order to respond to God our hearts need to be conditioned. Yes, God can speak through any condition that our hearts might be in as far as sin is concerned, He spoke to Belshazzar in Daniel 5, by writing on the wall. But, God will not continue to reveal His will and truth for a person’s life, or continue to use that person, unless that person’s heart is given over to Him. God cannot or will not begin or continue the sanctification process in a Christian’s life unless that life is surrendered to Him.
Abraham’s response to God was not an acknowledgement of where he was physically, but where he was spiritually. It was an acknowledgment that he was prepared to receive the WORD of God.
When you go to the Lord in prayer are you prepared to receive the WORD of the LORD? Are you able to say, like Abraham, “Here I am”?
-=Faith Condition
In order to hear the WORD of God our faith condition must be rooted in the WORD. In order to respond, “Here I am,” our belief must be established and not wavering. Remember what it says in James?
(James 1:6) But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
When you go to God are you going in sincerity and belief that what you ask for will be done for you? Then GO BACK! And keep going back until you get your heart right before Him. God desires to grant you the yearnings of your heart and the needs of your soul, but you have to ask.
Also, when you go to God, be prepared for the answer you are going to receive. You need to be ready to act when you go to Him and you need to know that you may not get the answer you desired. But, again, that is why Abraham says, “Here I am,” to acknowledge unconditional surrender to the will of God. To let himself know that he is ready to follow God.
In Isaiah 1:18 it says:
"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
Abraham is saying, “Lord, I am here to consult with you. I am here to reason with you, and I am ready for your will for my life.”
It doesn’t matter who you are. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, and Isaiah, all said the same thing, “Here I am.”
=He Speaks to YOUR Heart
God says in verse 2, “…whom you love.” He knows all there is to know about you. God knows all things
(Psalms 139:1) “O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. 5 You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.”
And then later in the same Psalm, verses 7-10:
(Psalm 139:7~10) “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
God knows your heart. He knew that Abraham loved Isaac more than his own life. God knew that Abraham would rather have sacrificed himself, than Isaac. God spoke directly to Abraham’s love for his only son.
He is speaks to your heart as well. He speaks to, and through, the love that he gave you that you have for your family. He speaks to your heart when He asks you to pray for them, to minister to them, and to lead them in His ways. He speaks to your heart when He ministers to you and provides the best way for your life.
God is ready to ask of you, are you ready to respond?
-God Guides
=He is direct and to the Point
Where God Guides, He provides. God is always direct and to the point when He is ready to guide you and to work in your life. He is always direct and to the point when He desires you to turn this way, or to go this way or that way in your walk with Him.
He told Abraham, “Take your son, ….go, …sacrifice.”
God will be the same with you. He will be straight to the point, because only He knows what is best for your life. He knows your future and what will hurt you and what will help you.
=He tells you only what you need to know
Also, God will only give you enough information to get you to the next level in His will for your life. Many times He will not disclose the entire plan, simply because many of us would choose rather to do something else if we knew what was in store for us.
There was a family that went to the Philippines as missionaries. The mother and father were kidnapped and the man was killed. Do you think the mother would have taken her children to that place if she knew that her husband, her children’s father, was going to be killed? Maybe, maybe not. God has a reason for everything that He does.
(Psalms 25:8-10) “Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. 9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. 10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
-God’s Will
God’s Will can be divided into two, very clear categories: His universal will and His specific will. His universal will deals with everyone, while His specific will is different for every individual.
=His Universal Will
God has spoken to us through His Word and detailed to us certain ways, ordinances, commands, and laws that are absolute and must be followed. These are (not exhaustive, complete):
Pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17)
Love one another (John 13:34-35)
Read the Bible (II Timothy 3:16-17)
Salvation (I Timothy 2:3)
Submission (Romans 12:1-2)
Obedience to Parents (Ephesians 6:1)
Sharing the Faith (Matthew 2819-20)
Sexual Purity (I Thessalonians 4:3)
Be Filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:17-18)
=His Specific Will
God was very specific in telling Abraham what to do. He outlined his every step. God told Abraham everything that He wanted Abraham to know, except the mountain where Isaac was to be sacrificed. He gave Abraham information that He knew that Abraham would be able to handle.
God discloses His will for our lives depending on what is right for us, our mental and physical state, and the very information itself. Very few of Christians would be able to stand to know God’s will for their lives for the next 15 or 20 years, or even the next two or three months for that matter. Again, depending on the information, your spiritual maturity level, and timing, God will only reveal what you are able to understand, accomplish and be willing to do at that specific time in your life.
A good point to remember when you are seeking God’s will for your life is that God’s will is based upon scripture, prayer, counsel and circumstances.
When you are seeking God’s will for your life, remember this: His specific will for your life will not go against His Universal will for mankind nor will it go against His Word, both of which are found in the Bible.
Also, when you are seeking His will, you should be seeking in your prayer and meditation time. James, the brother of Jesus, told us,
(James 4:3) When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Confirmation of God’s will for your life will be found in the counsel of others. The Bible tells us to rely on one another and it tells us specifically to seek counsel when we are planning our futures.
(Proverbs 15:22) Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
God also uses circumstances to dictate His will for our lives. He may physically close a door and not allow it to be opened. He may place a barrier in your way, or relax something that had previously blocked your way.
But, remember this,
If you are facing a tough decision for your life, and you are:
Conforming to God’s universal will
Have sincerely sought His will for your life in scripture, prayer, counsel, and circumstances, and, it still seems cloudy…
(Psalms 37:4-6) “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”
B. God reveals His way to those that are obedient, vv. 3-14
3 Early 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. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He 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." 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. 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. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 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." 13 Abraham 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. 14 So 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."
We have here some interesting circumstances. God has promised in His word that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars. Yet, now He is asking Abraham to take his son’s life. Hmm.
God knew that Abraham would follow His every command and that, if God asked him, he would submit to taking his own son’s life. While on the other hand, Abraham knew that God had promised He would make his descendants as numerous as the stars, and, believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead.
God knew the outcome, God knew the obedience, and God directed Abraham’s way. He provided Abraham a way for the sacrifice by providing a ram caught in a thicket for the sacrifice and continued to direct Abraham’s way throughout the rest of his life.
C. God reveals His blessings to those that are obedient, vv. 15-24
15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you 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, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." 19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba. 20 Some time later Abraham was told, "Milcah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel." 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maacah.
-Blessings are Sure to be Revealed
In our Scripture, the Lord Himself essentially declares to Abraham that he is righteous because of what he has done. This, in itself, doesn’t mean that we are saved by works, but it does mean that we are called on to serve God in whatever capacity or way that He has asked of us. And, we are to do so with the faith that God will provide every need during the work that He gives us to do.
Additionally, the Lord tells Abraham that He will surely bless Abraham because of his faithfulness. God tells Abraham that because of his obedience and faith, blessings will come. This indicates not just blessings, but abundant blessings will be showered on Abraham.
The Lord is waiting to surely bless you as well. He is waiting for your absolute surrender to Him, and your obedience to His Word, Way, and Will for your life.
-Blessings Revealed Through Children
God has promised sure blessings to be showered on Abraham, and, that additional blessings will be revealed through not only the provision of many descendants, but, by what these children will accomplish in their lives as well.
-Blessings Revealed Through History
God additionally declared that He would provide blessings to Abraham through history. He declared that Abraham’s descendants would be a world power, they would be world leaders and help fashion world policy. There really could be no bigger blessing to a group of people than that.
III. Summary
When and how can we be assured of blessings? Where do these blessings come from, what are they based on? They most assuredly come from God and but they are entirely based upon a life of obedience. If you’re looking for blessings from God, then you should also be obedient to His Word for your life?
Again, God wishes to grant you the desires of your heart and, to bless you beyond your imagination. But, it all begins with obedience. Let me reiterate our section titles for this study, all of them having to do with obedience.
God reveals His will to those that are obedient
God reveals His way to those that are obedient
God reveals His blessings to those that are obedient
You may be telling yourself that obedience today is different than during Abraham’s time. You may be telling yourself that you’re different than Abraham, that you’re weaker than Abraham. No. Yesterday is the same as today and Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Paul, Peter, and John were all people just like us. God can use you just as much as He used them. Maybe more.
