We are celebrating our Father’s Day today, and the best example of a father on this occasion is the father of our faith just as the Bible says in Galatians 3:6-9;"just as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness, therefore know that ONLY THOSE who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Gospel to Abraham beforehand,saying,In you all the nations shall be blessed. So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing in Abraham."
As Abraham left a legacy to us, it is noteworthy for us to emulate his examples, his journey, his testings of which we should take a special attention because it is our key to success and victorious Christian living.
Today, as pillars of our family, let’s take a climb to remember to the provision of God’s promises and also left a legacy to our children by pondering on four points of this ascent.
BODY OF THE SERMON:
I-FIRST CLIMB:
(TEST BEFORE TESTIMONY)
The chapter started with these words;"...after these things," which means to say that all God had promised to Abraham ever since Gen.12 is being fulfilled. He had proven the faithfulness of God particularly the birth of his long awaited son, Isaac. It is in this point that God tested him. Why is it that He tested Abraham? God would sacrifice the comfort Abraham is now enjoying to develop more of his character. And testing is God’s Way of molding him. Like Abraham, Lazarus of Bethany became a testimony only when he died. We have to die to our self to obtain a promise over these tests and problems. We have to give our precious Isaacs.
Let us leave a lasting legacy to our children, God is continually testing us into the mold that He sees fit to the purpose He had for us.
We can not teach any good thing to our children unless we experienced it personally through the guidance of our Abba, our Father!"No one is good but One,God," says our Master in Mark 10:18
God’s testing always deepens our capacity to obey, thus develop our attitude. Most of us complain or we should really try to see God’s stretching us to develop our personality. Are we not created according to the image of His first-born Son?
God specifically told Abraham in verse2"...Take now your son,YOUR ONLY SON ISAAC,WHOM YOU LOVE... and offer him there as a burnt offering.." God knew that the apple of Abraham’s eyes at this period of his life is his Isaac. God wanted that no one else should occupy the first place in Abraham’s heart. Jesus also stated it in Luke14:26ff where our Lord is at the height of His popularity in Palestine. Jesus knew that at this juncture of His earthly ministry, many were following Him because of what they are witnessing... lames walk, blind men see, feeding 5,000 men, miracles everywhere! Our Savior wanted to tell them to follow Him because He is worthy to be love! He alone is dependable! He alone is Faithful! In these world where there is no constant, ONLY ONE IS FAITHFUL! G O D.
Let us not react or complain nor grumble in times of God’s testing but let us respond to Him, it would strengthen us to share with our children.
II-2nd CLIMB:
(PROMISE AND NOT ON THE PROBLEM)
The word "so" in verses3-6 indicates that Abraham obeyed God and focused solely on the promise and not on the problem. Secondly, on the third day of their travel, he instructed two of his young men to wait for them as they would WORSHIP AND THEY WILL COMEBACK! What a faith in God! How did he do it? ONLY ONE THING IS IMPORTANT TO HIM, He focused on the Word of God, the main source of his hope, his promise.
In these problem situations, to obey God’s words is of utmost importance. We don’t always try to understand... but we must always have to obey. Some times we asks questions that is beyond our maturity in God. When we look at problems, at calamities, situations beyond explanations of our relationship to God, we forgot His faithfulness in us. If we forget His words to us, many times even our family become affected. We become irrational to the needs of our children, of our wife, of people around us,in our workplace.
In every problem hurled around us, there is only one Source to the solution: GOD. And God met his problem at the top of the mountain. And that’s what mountains are made of. God did not met Abraham at the foot of the mountain, but at to top! And we have to obey! God needs us at the right time, at a perfect place.
Abraham treated his problem as a time of worship. In moments of worship, he knew that his perspective would be refocused to the original promise. Is it not God is looking for worshippers who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth? This is between Abraham and the Lord, and it can only be accomplished by means of worship at God’s appointed time and place.For us fathers who are daily bombarded with tests everywhere, this should be our time of worship with God whenever we are encountering mountains of problems to climb... let us worship. Remember, our Isaac might be watching us in these times of testings and problems. Let us behave according to the promise of God because our Isaac is our posterity,how we respond is crucial. God only wants your worship, your obedience.
III-3rd CLIMB:
(GOD’S DELAY IS NOT GOD’S DENIAL)
In verses7-10, the tension seems to be getting on the climax..."Where was the lamb,father?" Nowhere is the lamb. The beating on Abraham’s heart gets faster as the voice of his BELOVED SON deafen on his ears... The lamb? Where is it? His only Isaac? How could it be? Problems gets bigger when we look on the surroundings,on our senses, on our hearts which is so deceptive just what Jer.17:9-10 says. The apostle Paul has this piece of advise... Trust not on your sights,senses,surroundings but on faith on God! But where was the lamb? Our children always asks such problems of where is my allowance dad? Buy for me this latest gadget Dad...Your wife’s naggings of a higher monthly increase in budgets... and we still don’t have the budget for such and such things? How can we explain such things? ONLY GOD WILL PROVIDE A LAMB...
As long as hope is alive, then faith can do its work. God is saying to us;"I want you to wait until you realize if it’s going to happen it’s gotta be grand, miraculous, stupendous!!!" Because we are great in His eyes! God doesn’t mind allowing us to move in that perfect God-ordained time and place.
Lazarus was dead for already four days when Jesus went to Bethany to wake him up. HE WAITED FOR FOUR DAYS, that the glory of God be manifested. The sisters; Mary and Martha were speaking"if you would only have been here.." Jesus was speaking of the present tense,moving the sisters from their past to God’s time;"If you would believe you would see the glory of God?"(John11:1-44).
God sits high on His throne where we will always find grace,mercy and help in times of our need... He looks low ready to send forth his lamb! What Abraham does not know is that on the other side of the mountain in which he could not see is a Ram foraging. With the father and son tandem climbing every steep pass up the mountain, a ram had been instructed by HiS Creator to perform his utmost task of a life time... and he surely would not fail God! On the other side of the mountain, Abraham doesn’t know, God is doing something. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF OUR OWN MOUNTAINS, GOD HAD HIS RAM OF PROMISE FOR US!!! Heading the same direction...just like when Abraham arrived at the top of the mountain with his son Isaac, he thought it would be the end of his generation... but only the beginning! Sometimes, we come up on the other side of the mountain, the promise only comes up as high as you do. Is it possible that if Abraham reneged his climb, the ram also could not have ascended? No testimony could have been written?
IV-AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN:
(OUT OF CRISIS, CHRIST IS)
In verses11-14 is the most exciting of all. In fact, this period is what most of us like to attain. We have a saying however "no pain,no gain." Even the Lord Jesus Christ undergo such humiliation to attain the only glory He alone occupy now. Should we be like HiM also? Let us look at the most famous saying we always quote whenever we are lacking;"God will Proide.." that many of us do not understand the true meaning and implications of these popular words."My son,God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering", as he stretch his hand and took a knife to slay his son. Out of nowhere, the ram was caught on the thicket! What a timing! or should i say... What a God ordained situation! It’s all orchestrated by the Master Conductor. As we can see here, the ram only appeared when Abraham was already on the top of the mountain, when his beloved Isaac was bound and was about to die in the sacrifice.Rewind that however to get the clear picture of how God’s answer of provision comes: climb the mountain headed on to his testing to obtain a testimony for all eternity. He focused on the lasting and faithful word of God to continue his climb over problems which every step of the way for sure, his knees were growing tired. The promise is faithful to the one who believe.And lastly, he overcame the worst enemy of blessings; that is waiting. We have to endure to obtain the blessing of provision. Somewhere, somehow, only God knows a ram is on the other side of the mountain ready to obey God’s command of providing for your needs. Blessings will be a reality!
CONCLUSION:
As i was writing this outline, i can still remember that our Father God would not like to be out done by what Abraham had done.As Abraham was lifting the knife to sacrifice his only Isaac, John3:16 was beginning to come into my spirit."GOD GAVE HiS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON..." And i am having this spine tingling-urging from the HolySpirit! If Abraham could sacrifice his Isaac... How much more HiS Son Jesus? He had to come down to show how worship is. He had to come to show what testing, obedience, endurance, and sacrifice is inorder to climb back once more to the throne where He really belongs! Glory!
I end now my dear fellow fathers with these reminders;
1-before any great testimony happen, brace yourself for a test,that’s what father’s should be made of... oercomers of tests to make him truly a "pillar" of his home and his family.
2-Don’t focus on the problems, they get bigger and bigger just like a mountain. Focus on the promise of the Word of God. They’re your only hope to attain a victory.
3-God’s timing is important. Be patient. Let us endure the climb. God’s delay is not necessarily God’s denial. Somewhere on the other side of the mountain is a ram climbing to provide for our needs, as supplied by our God depending on our obedience to Him.
4-Remember. your Isaac is something so dear to you that it is hard to give to God.It maybe your job, family, your car, your money, whatever that always get your most attention and having second thought to give-up.As you sacrifice your Isaac... there is a crisis situation, don’t you worry... Just obey.
Out of Crisis,
CHRIST IS!
Our Lamb!
Our Ram!
He has done it before, He will do it again and again.
He has never and will never change His love toward us!
To our family....
We are partakers of what Abraham had done.
We can do it, because in our veins pulsates the life of a heritage we got because of what Jesus had done for us as written in Gal.3:6-9.
We are born winners.
Fathers with great testimony to leave to our children
and family.
Fathers who have received promises coming from our supreme Father. After all, it runs in the Christian family! Right?
Fathers who believed continually that those who endures received the faithful blessings.
OUT OF CRISIS, CHRIST IS!
GOD BLESS US!
