Genesis Ch22v1-19

Genesis chapter 22 and we're going to read the first 19 verses and then Sam will be up.

Genesis 22 · chapter mention

That's the preacher's son.

Genesis chapter 22 verse 1.

Genesis 22:1

Sometime later God tested Abraham.

He said to him, Abraham, here I am, he replied.

Then God said, take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of Moriah.

Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain that I will show you.

Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded 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.

On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

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.

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, 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?

Abraham answered, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.

And the two of them went on together.

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.

Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, Abraham, Abraham, here I am, he replied.

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.

Abraham looked up and there in a ticket 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.

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.

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said,

I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,

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 and through your offspring,

all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me.

Then Abraham returned to his servants and they set off together for Beersheba and Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Thanks, Sam.

Thanks, Connor.

Good morning, everybody.

Why don't we just pray before we start and ask for God's help.

Lord, we come to this passage this morning, which in many ways is difficult to understand and get our heads around.

Lord, I just pray for your help for all of us now to hear what you want us to hear from this passage.

And anything that is not from you, Lord, that we forget that.

But all the truth that you want us to hear, Lord, that you would drill it deep down into our hearts

and that you would encourage us this morning to persevere in faith, looking to Jesus.

And it's in his name we pray. Amen.

Amen.

Well, in verse 1, it says that God tested Abraham.

And as much as we don't like to admit that God does this, it is true.

And this is no spellings test or driving test or even IQ test.

Now, this is an everything-on-the-line kind of test.

God had promised Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky

and that through him all nations would be blessed.

Only when Abraham was laid on in years did God finally give the son on whom all of the promises would rest.

And now that Isaac is here, God turns around and asks Abraham to sacrifice the son that he waited 100 years to love.

It's jarring. It's shocking.

There's nothing safe or secure or happy about this test.

Rather, it's painful and confusing, with God offering no reasons why at the outset.

If Isaac dies, so does the promise of salvation.

It throws Abraham's life into crisis.

And it offends those of us, on the one hand,

who suppose that God wants us to have lives of wealth, security and happiness free from any trouble.

And on the other hand, it offends those of us who suppose that God is not in any way in control of our suffering.

And the two main questions that arise out of this test are this.

Why does God allow us to be tested like this?

And number two, how on earth can we persevere in our faith amid pain and confusion when God seems to be against us?

Well, by walking with Abraham through this trial,

we're going to see that number one,

God tests us to grow our faith in him,

in his promises and in his son's work on the cross.

And that number two,

we can persevere through times of suffering and testing

by putting our faith in Jesus,

who trusted and obeyed perfectly amid the ultimate test of his faith.

And I pray that God's word today would challenge your perspective

and mine on testing as I've been doing all week,

and that you would place your faith on the rock,

solid truth of what Jesus has already done for you

and what he's promised to do for you in the future.

So we're going to look,

just walk through this narrative by looking at three simple things.

God's purpose in our testing,

God's promises in our testing,

and God's presence in our testing.

First, God's purpose in our testing.

And the first thing that we need to establish in verse one,

that it's clearly God who ordains Abraham's testing.

Let's not try and make any excuses for God here.

He is sovereign and in control of Abraham's trouble.

And that's a tough pill to swallow.

I've wrestled with this.

How could God willingly throw Abraham's life into chaos

and allow him to experience the most excruciating pain

while still being loving?

And this is not a once-off in the Bible, by the way,

if you just think it's just this instance.

No, it's all over the Bible.

We look at the example of Job.

In his case, Satan brings terrible affliction upon his life.

But Satan has to ask God's permission to do so first.

And he can only do as much as God allows him to do

in order for God to achieve his purposes in Job's life

through the calamity.

In support of this, Romans 8.28 says this,

And we know that in all things,

God works for the good of those who love him,

who have been called according to his purpose.

So, if that is true,

if God is ultimately in control over all things,

then that has to mean our suffering and pain also.

And that is incredibly hard to accept.

Stay with me, though.

This narrative is going to show us

that Abraham's suffering is not meaningless,

and neither is yours or mine.

But what is that purpose, according to today's text?

Well, later we'll see that God is definitely not testing Abraham

to punish him for the mistakes that he'd previously made in his life.

And believe me, he'd made some big ones.

Nor is God trying to catch him out

or setting him up for some sort of failure.

No.

No.

In this text, we learn that God tests us

because he wants to grow our faith.

How could that be so?

Well, on any of the rare times in my life

that I have strayed into a gym,

the trainers there have explained to me

that by testing my muscle,

by putting it under strain,

and feeling the burn, that pain,

that is how I can build stronger muscle,

if only I did that more.

And it's a picture of how God tests our faith.

He puts it under strain

through trials and suffering,

and it's painful.

But if we keep trusting him,

it will build stronger faith in him.

We can't even imagine the depths of despair

Abraham felt walking that road,

knowing he would have to somehow kill his son.

Every fiber in his being

would have fought against it.

But because of this testing experience,

Abraham throws all his faith

and all his hope

on the promises of God.

Look at verse 8,

where he tells his son

that God will provide the lamb,

even though Abraham doesn't have a clue how.

He becomes more and more dependent on God

and less and less dependent on himself.

God uses testing and suffering

to make us realize our utter need for him.

I don't know about you,

but when everything's going great in my life,

my sinful heart slips into self-dependency.

And we quickly lose our focus on God,

and we trust more and more on ourselves,

and not on him.

You see, in doing the very thing

that brings Abraham to his knees,

God is saving him.

He's for Abraham

when it seems that he's against him.

He wants Abraham to pass the test.

He's not trying to catch him out.

He's trying to grow his faith.

Listen to James 1, verses 2-4.

James 1:2–4

You can read it on the board as well.

Consider it pure joy,

my brothers and sisters,

whenever you face trials of many kinds,

because you know that the testing of your faith

produces perseverance.

Let perseverance finish its work

so that you may be mature and complete,

not lacking anything.

You know, like the song says,

who holds our faith when fears arise?

Who stands above the stormy trial?

Who sends the waves that bring us nigh

unto the shore,

the rock of Christ?

I think that's true.

I love that.

Friends, in your times of testing,

don't let your first prayer be

that God would remove the trouble from you.

Pray first that God would save you

from trusting in yourself

and use whatever means necessary

to grow your faith,

even if that means

continuing in this hardship and testing.

He tests us because he loves us.

So we know God's purpose in our testing

is to grow our faith.

But what is that faith resting in?

Here's a second point.

It's about God's promises in our testing.

So in verses 3 to 9,

we follow Abraham on the road

to the mountain where he's going to sacrifice his son.

And what keeps Abraham walking forward in obedience here

through this excruciatingly painful testing?

Why doesn't he just give up

amidst the anguish

and all the unanswered questions of the situation?

I think we can see Abraham does two simple things

which we can also use to persevere

through our times of deepest suffering and testing.

Number one, he remembers the promises.

And two, he walks forward in the promises.

Look at verse 5,

where Abraham tells 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.

How can Abraham have that confidence

of bringing Isaac back down that mountain alive?

Well, simply, Abraham remembered God's promise

that Isaac would be the father of many nations.

So the first step in our times of testing and suffering

is to just remember the promises

that God has already spoken to us.

These promises are enough

for you to navigate any trial

that you will ever face in your life.

So are you giving God the chance

to speak his promises to you in his word?

I can hear plenty of empty promises

of things the world will give me.

Yet so often I can't find time

to listen to what my soul really needs.

God's true promises.

Simply put,

we are missing out on real life,

on real hope,

when we leave out his word.

So make it a priority.

Listen to it on your walk in the evening.

Hear it explained on a good Christian podcast.

Write out your favorite promises.

Stick them on the walls of your home.

Fill your life with God's promises to you.

And secondly,

walk forward in those promises.

It wasn't enough for Abraham

to simply know in his head

what God had promised.

In verses 3 to 9,

he showed his faith in the promise

by living like he believed it was true.

Here's another way of saying it.

Obedience flows out of faith

in God's promises.

Now the writer of the book of Hebrews

kind of fills us in

on what Abraham was actually thinking

as he walked up the mountain.

So it's pretty cool to actually read this

2,000 years later

as this writer is speaking.

And this is what he says.

You can read it on the board as well.

Abraham reasoned

that God could even raise Isaac

from the dead.

That's what he was thinking.

Here's a paraphrase of Abraham's thoughts.

God has asked me

to sacrifice my son.

But God has also promised

that my son will be

the father of many nations.

Because God cannot break his promise,

the only logical conclusion

is that after I have killed him,

God's going to raise Isaac from the dead

and we'll walk down the mountain together.

Now that's Abraham walking forward

in the promise.

It's nothing spectacular.

It's not some massive faith

that only biblical heroes can have.

No.

Only a small, simple faith

is required

to cling to a massive promise.

To say,

Okay God,

I'm taking you at your word.

And I'm going to live my life

in the light of it.

It's faith and obedience.

They're like two sides of the same coin.

You can't have one without the other.

Obeying God means

knowing God's promises

and living in the light of them.

It's asking yourself,

if God's promises are true,

then how does that impact

how I live this day?

A couple examples.

When I'm tempted

to hold my money too tightly

and worry about not having enough,

I can choose to believe

God's promise to me

in Matthew 6,

which says,

Don't worry about

what you will eat

or drink or wear,

but seek first

God's kingdom

and His righteousness

and all these things

will be given to you as well.

Believing this promise

means that I can walk forward

in generosity,

trusting His provision

for all my needs.

how about when I'm sick

and God isn't giving me

the healing

that I've asked Him for?

Well, I can believe

in God's promise

in Romans 8, 28,

which says,

God will make all things

work together

for the good of those

who love Him

and are called

according to His purpose.

And believing in that promise,

I can walk forward,

trusting that

He will make this illness

turn out for my good

and His glory.

When I've been badly hurt

by a brother or sister,

and I'm tempted to show revenge

to those who have wronged me,

I can believe God's promise

in 1 Peter 4

that says,

They will have to give

an account to Him

who is ready to judge

the living and the dead.

And believing this promise

enables me to walk forward

in love,

even if I never receive

an apology from that person.

When I'm being tempted

by sexual sin,

and all the world

is telling me

to just do whatever

makes me happy,

I can choose to believe

God's greater promise

that says,

Everyone who drinks this water

will be thirsty again,

but whoever drinks

the water I give them

will never thirst.

By believing in that promise,

I can walk forward

in purity,

quenching my thirst

to God's

fountain of life.

Because God

always keeps His promises,

we can keep walking

forward in them,

even when our situation

seems like madness to us.

It's blind faith.

It's a road marked with pain.

But it saves us

if it grows

our faith

in Christ.

So we've established,

number one,

God's purpose

in our testing

to grow our faith.

And we've heard

about God's promises

in our testing

to help us through.

And now,

lastly,

we come to God's

presence

in our testing.

And you might be saying

to yourself at this point,

Okay,

I guess that God

tests me

to grow my faith

in Him

and that He's given me

His promises

to hold on to.

But what about

when I'm in the middle

of that test

and I'm suffering

badly?

I'm angry,

I'm hurting,

and I'm struggling

to even talk to God

about the situation

I'm in right now.

The situation

that He's allowing

in my life.

My faith is weak

and I can't even say

I'm consistently trusting

in Him

or in His promises.

Never mind walking

in obedience.

What about those times?

You see,

Abraham might have been

a shiny example

in this particular story

of faith and obedience,

but he wasn't

many times in the past.

And neither will we

trust perfectly.

Read with me

from verse 10.

Then Abraham

reached out his hand

and took the knife

to slay his son.

But the angel of the Lord

called out to him

from heaven,

Abraham,

Abraham,

Here I am,

he replied.

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.

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.

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.

All of a sudden

God's request

of Abraham

which was

once so confusing

and so painful

now begins

to make sense.

God never wanted

Abraham to sacrifice

his son.

He wanted

to show

Abraham

that he

the Lord

of the universe

would one day

sacrifice

his one

and only son.

Two thousand

years after

Isaac

Jesus

would walk

up a hill

carrying wood

on his back.

Like Isaac

he would be

silent as a lamb

led to the slaughter

trusting perfectly

in his father.

he would not

resist

but would

willingly allow

the soldiers

to nail him

to the cross

obeying his father

perfectly.

But where

Isaac was

spared on the

altar

Jesus would

not be spared

on the cross.

The full weight

of the wrath

of God

for our sin

would crush

him.

He would die

for all of

our faithlessness

our self

dependency

and idolatry

of lesser

things.

Jesus

passed

the ultimate

test of

faith

for us.

And then

crucially

he rose

again from

the grave

to be our

risen king

conquering death

and guaranteeing

our future

resurrection

to eternal

life.

He is seated

at the right

hand of the

father right

now

interceding

for us

just like he

prayed for

Simon Peter

that his

faith would

not fail

through testing

so Jesus

is also

praying

for those

who belong

to him.

we are

all going

to turn

away from

God's

promises

and trust

in ourselves

just like

Abraham

on previous

occasions

just like

Peter did

when he

denied Jesus

we are

often going

to live

like we

don't believe

God's

promises

are true

and that's

why we

needed a

perfect

sinless

savior

who passed

the test

for us

and now

is

interceding

for us

he's

speaking

praying

that we

would

persevere

and like

the song

says

when I

fear my

faith will

fail

Christ

will hold

me fast

when the

tempter

would prevail

he

will hold

me fast

that's truth

from God's

word

Jesus

wants us

to pass

the test

and he

is praying

to the

father

that our

faith will

not fail

even though

we lose

our focus

on him

so it's

simple

place

your entire

faith

in Jesus

work on the

cross for

you

know the

forgiveness

of all

your sin

and your

relationship

with him

restored

and he

will give

you the

gift of

his holy

spirit

God

living

inside

you

present

with

you

through

all of

your

suffering

and

testing

and not

only that

through

faith in

Christ

you are

adopted

into

God's

family

you're

counted

as

sons

and

daughters

of

Abraham

meaning

that all

the promises

that we

read about

in verses

17 and

18

they're

yours

as well

they're

mine

just as

Abraham

was

promised

blessing

by

God

so we

have been

blessed

with every

spiritual

blessing

in Christ

just as

Abraham

was promised

a family

as numerous

as the

stars

so we

have been

brought into

a family

of believers

from all

nationalities

and backgrounds

spanning

history

just as

Abraham

was promised

a heavenly

city

so we

are heirs

of eternity

in heaven

as well

these are

promises

that you

and I

can build

our lives

on

remember

them

believe

them

show you

believe them

by walking

forward in

them

and whenever

you fail

to trust

and obey

keep coming

back

to the

one who

trusted

and obeyed

perfectly

for you

he is

present

in your

testing

he is

keeping

you

from

falling

though

you

struggle

his

grace

is

enough

for all

your

mistakes

parameters

just

want to

finish

with

jude

verses

24

and

25

just

listen

to it

now

to him

who is

able to

keep

you

from

stumbling

and to

present

you

before

his

glorious

presence

without

fault

and with

great

joy

to the only God our Saviour

be glory, majesty, power and authority

through Jesus Christ our Lord

before all ages, now and forevermore.

Let's pray.

Lord, we just ask that

you would not save us from all trouble

but first of all, God,

that you would use the trouble

and the testing and the suffering

to save us from ourselves.

And Lord, whenever you do test our faith,

give us grace to believe in your promises.

Give us grace to live

like we believe them.

Thank you for your finished work

on the cross for us.

Lord, we simply rest in that work today.

And we place our entire faith

in what you have achieved for us.

Lord,

grow our faith

through times of testing.

thank you that you are keeping us

till the end.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Thanks very much, Sam.

tough passage,

but absolutely superb.

A couple of things that I took from it.

We're going to sing a couple of songs

to finish.

But Sam said,

in doing the very thing

that brings Abraham to his knees,

God is saving him.

I hope we can remember that

throughout the week,

that while we're going through

these tough times,

God is using that

to save us,

to strengthen our faith.

And if we can remember

the promises

while we're going through these times.

The two songs we're going to sing

now are speaking about

that last point

that Sam was making

about God's presence

in our testing,

in our struggles.

The first one is

He will hold me fast.

You might have heard Sam quote it

in the sermon.

And the second one is

before the throne of God above

where it says

that God ever lives

and pleads for me.

So like Sam was speaking about,

when you are going through

those hard times,

yes, it is awful,

but God is there with you.

If you hold on to His promises,

He is there with you in it.

Please feel free to stand.