SERMON
BY BRO. SETH A. ARYEE
LOCAL PREACHER, BETHANY METHODIST CHURCH, DZORWULU, ACCRA-GHANA
THEME: KNOWING AND LISTENING TO GOD’S VOICE
GENESIS 22: 1-14
TEXT: “AND ABRAHAM CALLED THE NAME OF THAT PLACE JEHOVAH JIREH" - GENESIS 22:14
This evening, I want us to examine the faith Abraham had in the Lord to yield to God’s command to sacrifice his only son. How did he get such tremendous faith? The Scriptures confirms in 1 John 5:4: "For whatever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith"
The very first war that ever recorded in the Scriptures is recounted in Genesis 14. The invaders were four kings. The invaded were the kings of five cities that lay near together in the plain of Jordan - Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zebolim, and Zoar
These five kings had revolted against the government of Chedorlasmer (King of Elam) after serving him and paying tribute to him for twelve years. They little enjoyed the fruits of their own land and there was nothing they could call their own; rather, a foreign power took possession of the good of their land
In the thirteenth year, beginning to be weary of their continued subjection to a foreign power, they objected; in fact, the rebelled, refused to pay the tribute and made efforts to shake off the yoke of slavery and retrieve their lost sovereignty and past glory and liberty
In consequence, Chedorlaomer recognised the predicament, which he faced - the denial of payment of tribute would bring down his government financially and materially. In the fourteenth year, in connection with his allies - Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, and Tidal, king of nations - set himself to quell down the rebellion and the rebels
They invaded Canaan, fought with and routed the forces of the kings of the five cities, laid the neighbouring countries waste and enriched themselves with the spoils of the war - gold, silver, animals and people including Lot, the nephew of Abram as a captive. Many an honest man fares the worse for his wicked neighbours. It is, therefore, our wisdom to separate ourselves
In like manner, those who serve under the banner of the devil would one day stand up against him for their freedom. When you have been saved, when you are right with God, when you have resounding victory over the devil and robbed the devil of his spoils, he will definitely attack us
The king of Sodom and his allies revolted in their own strength; that is the reason why they were defeated in battle. But when you go in the strength of the Lord and under the banner of the Lord, "a thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shall thou behold and see the reward of the wicked" (Psalm 91:7,8).
It is the Lord who fights our battles. The Scriptures confirm this: "Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident" (Psalm 27:3)
Even in our Christian life, we may be serving the devil by our attitude and compromise to the worldly standards. The world represents darkness, loneliness, poverty and distress. The devil glories to see the children of God in this state of despair.
When you come to the realisation, like the prodigal son, and say: "I will arise and go to my father . . ." the devil will not leave you alone. He will continue to impress upon you that the old nature is better than the newfound freedom. The need for you to stand firm in the Lord cannot be overemphasised
When we go out of the way of our duty we put ourselves from the arm and protection of the Lord and should not expect that the choices we make by our lusts should issue to our comfort
When Abram heard of the capture of Lot, he armed his trained servants - 318 in number - who were considered and treated as members of the family, and waged war against the confederates of the victorious soldiery. It required both considerable courage and address in Abram to lead him to attack the victorious armies of these four kings with so small a number of troops. His affection for Lot appears to have his chief motive; and Abram risked his life to save him.
Lot had lately chosen the best part of the land and left his uncle to live as he might, on what he did not think worthy his own acceptance. The invaders did not only capture Lot but they took his goods which he selfishly took from Abram
But it is the property of a great and generous mind not only to forgive but to forget offenses, and at all times to repay evil with good for "Vengeance is mine: I will repay, says the Lord" (Romans 12:19)
As you sit in church today, I am not sure the number of people - family members, relations, friends, working colleagues and even your enemies - have done some sort of evil against you. I am also not sure what deceit people have visited on you. What about traitors in your life? You may have been sidestepped for a position, which is your due. What is your attitude towards such people? Do you pray for their downfall or re-echo the exhortation of the Good Lord: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34)
What could one family of husbandmen and shepherds do against the armies of four strong prices, who now came fresh from blood and victory? Religion tends to make men, not cowardly, but truly valiant. The true Christian is the true hero for "we are more than conquerors" (Romans 8:37)
Abram put a strategic plan in place. There was a great deal of policy in the management of the attack on the confederates. He waited till in the night, when the victorious armies of the four kings slept. We need to be awake whilst our enemies slept; it gives us tremendous power over the devil
The attack was not expected so the armies of Chadorlaomer and his allies were scattered in different directions. Any attack on our enemies must be purposeful otherwise we may retract and be defeated
By this victory, Abram brought back both the spoils of the four kings as well as the goods, women and children as well as Lot. The victory of Abram was significant because here was a man who had earlier been called by God to leave his country, father’s house and kindred to a land, which he did not know. His obedience to God’s command earned him the victory. That covenant with Abram is still available for us today
On his way from the battle, Abram met two kings. These are the kings you meet when you have been saved, when you get right with God, when you have triumphed over the evil one. The first one was the king of Sodom who represented Satan. We all know the city of Sodom was destroyed because of homosexuality
The second, Melchizedek, was king of Salem, meaning "peace". Melchizedek has preserved in his family and among his subjects the worship of the true God, and the primitive patriarchal institutions. By these the father of every father of every family was both king and priest. So Melchizedek, being a worshipper of the true God, was priest among the people, as well as king over them
There was something very mysterious, and at the same time typical, in the person, name, office, residence, and government of this Canaanitish prince. In his person, he was representative and type of Christ (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7:1-10)
His name signified "my righteous king" or "king of righteousness". For his office, he was the priest of the Most High God. His residence, he was king of Salem. Shalom signifies "to make whole, complete, or perfect, and hence it means peace. Christ is called "The Prince of Peace" because he procures and establishes peace between God and man
During the meeting, Melchizedek blessed the Most High God - creator and possessor of heaven and earth. He also blessed Abram with God’s blessings as: "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace" (Numbers 6:24-26)
Abram had a new revelation of God - El yon (The Most High God). He found himself a child of the Most High God and for that matter God has everything under His control. Thus, Abram became God-possessed and his faith begun to increase. The God we serve is the owner of the universe. We are able to face the problems that confront us in life because the Lord is the BOSS of our lives
God possesses everything. From Haggai 2: 8, we know: "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts". There is no accident in our lives; there is nothing called fate or luck with God’s people. God is in control! After the blessing, Abram paid his tithe to Melchizedek. When you receive God’s blessing, there is need to honour payment of tithes. And God continues to bless us daily
Abram used this new revelation of God to challenge Him. He said something like this: "You have promised me tp be the father of all nations. I don’t have an heir now. Where is my promised son? Yes, I acknowledge that you are the owner and possessor of the universe; give me a child now". He said something like this as well: You promised me that: "I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless theee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing" - Genesis 12:3
After thirteen years from the covenant promise and at the age of ninety-nine years, God revealed Himself again to Abram. God used his crisis to give him a fresh revelation and a new faith. The Lord appeared to Abram to show him again His nature and being. God is faithful to encourage our faith
God is everything He said He is and will do everything He promised. He is El-Shaddai - "I am the Almighty God" - the All-Bountiful and All-Sufficient God. This name bespeaks almighty power of God. He is a God that is enough. If you have God, you have everything. For "God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" - Numbers 23:19
God has promised us that: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end" - Jeremiah 29:11. But God’s plans for us depends on our faith: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him for he that cometh top God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6)
God affirms that He is the Lord who removes all obstacles on our way. No waters and oceans are too big for Him to take you through - remember the Israelites and the Red Sea encounter; no mountains are so high and wide that with His help we shall not scale over; no valleys are too low that He would not raise up to flourish for our good. Nothing can stop the promises of God for our lives
God is all-powerful and He guarantees His Word. God uses every crisis we go through as believers to show Himself fresh to us. CHRIST CROSSES EVERY CRISIS in our lives. My prayer today is that God will show Himself to you as you go through series of problems in your marriage, finances, business, and social life. Even the problems that our nation is going through today are under the control of God. I am fully persuaded that what He has promised, He is able to do it because "great is His faithfulness"
Get your eyes off your family problems because He is El-Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One. He has made the promise and He will do it. If God says He will do it, He will truly do it. Do you believe it?
Without the Holy Ghost, there is no good work. El-Shaddai will keep the promise: "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28)
It was a covenant of promises which indeed are all-sufficient - that God would be their God and what God is Himself, that He will be to His people: His wisdom theirs, to guide and counsel them; His power theirs, to protect and support them; His goodness theirs, to supply and comfort them
The El-Shaddai will "supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). The El-Shaddai will provide our needs, protect our lives, and prosper the work of our hands
When the heir apparent was thirty years old, God tested Abraham to offer his only son through whom the seed should come for a burnt offering to the Lord. Abraham obliged: "Here I am". But where did he get such a faith in the Lord? In deed, from the revelation of the Name of God - El-Shaddai
God test to Abraham was not to incite sin (James 1:13) but trey, prove - and give occasion for the development of his faith (1 Peter 1:7). To lose his son and by an act of his own hands. That is a difficult situation! But Abraham heard and obeyed without a murmur
Abraham desired to be let into the mystery of redemption; and god, to instruct him in the infinite extent of the divine goodness to mankind, who spared not His own so, but delivered Him for us all
We are instructed that Abraham took along with him Isaac, two of his servants, an ass, fire, wood and knife. They came to Mount Moriah after three days’ journeying. Mount Moriah is believed to be the same spot where Jesus was crucified
I am sure that Isaac was aware of the purpose of the journey by his own words: " . . .but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham contented himself by replying: "My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering". Indeed, Abraham knew that the All-Sufficient God will provide a substitution
Abraham had faith that if he killed his son in obedience that God would raise him from the dead to fulfill what He had promised. Isaac was, as far as Abraham was concerned, dead, and so became resurrected figuratively (Hebrews 11:17-19)
The story of the valley of dry bones as related in Ezekiel 37 is a living testimony of the power of God to turn whatever seems dead in your life to resurrect today. Whatever the locusts have eaten in your life, will be restored. Joel 2:25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the catepillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied" - Joel 2:25,26. "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before" - Job 42:10. If your finances have been plundered, you are going to experience a new lease of live in your business. If your marriage is collapsing, today you will have the bitter waters sweetened. Where sickness has taken over your glorious life and threatens to destroy, you will have a new life.
I command sickness to come out of your life. The "whale", which has swallowed you, shall vomit you back into glory. See it is not yet over until you win! Do not give up yet. The El-Shaddai is very near you. You only need faith to take the promise
This was a foretaste of that one sacrifice of Jesus. If you are living in shame, guilt and bondage, there is freedom for you today. This revelation to Abraham is also for all Christians
Abraham then built an altar, bound Isaac and laid him on it. Hitherto, this story had been very melancholy and seemed to hasten towards a most tragically period; but suddenly the dark clouds in the sky cleared, the sun broke out from the mist, and a bright and pleasant scene opened
When God realised that Abraham was a faithful servant who obeyed His Word, by drawing his knife to slay his son, an angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven: "Abraham, Abraham . . . lay not thine hand upon the lad . . ."
When Abraham lifted up his eyes and so behind him a ram caught in a thicket by its horns; he took it and offered the sacrifice unto the Lord instead of Isaac. Abraham’s words were made good: "God will provide himself a lamb" or "God will see to it"
An angel has been sent by God to visit you today. It is time to receive your supplies. Do not let this opportunity pass by. Christ was sacrificed in our stead and His death was our discharge from fear, guilt, shame and bondage
COME OUT OF YOUR DEAD LIFE AND LIVE TO THE GLORY OF GOD. JEHOVAH-JIREH WILL PROVIDE!
PRAYER
THANK YOU LORD FOR THE REVELATION OF YOUR NATURE TO US TODAY. THIS IS THE TRUTH THAT SETS US FREE FROM FEAR, GUILT, SHAME AND BONDAGE. HOW WE LOVE THE WORD. THANK YOU FOR GIVING EVERYONE HERE A HEARING EAR. HOLY SPIRIT, HELP US TO REST IN YOU ALWAYS AND KEEP US FROM FALLING. COME JUST IN TIME TO SEE TO IT. DEAR JESUS, I THANK YOU THAT YOU ARE BEGINNING TO REVEAL YOURSELF TO US. YOU HAVE SHOWN US MERCY, GREAT LOVE, AND COMPASSION. I THANK YOU FOR ALL THESE PROMISES. GIVE US FAITH TO TRUST YOU FOR ALL YOU PROVIDE. GIVE US POWER TO STAND AND NOT FALL. CLEANSE US FROM ANY UNBELIEF. THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXCEEDING LOVE TO US
