Abraham's Greatest Test, Part 4

This morning we want to conclude our study in Genesis 22 about Abraham's greatest test, and so doing realize that there are many tests that all of us face throughout our lives. We're not meant to understand what God does. In fact, Paul said it this way in Romans 11, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his ways, or his judgments, and unfathomable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became his counselor? Or who has first given to him, that it might be paid back to him again?

For from him, and through him, and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Paul said God's ways are unsearchable. God's ways are untraceable. No matter how hard we try, we will never fully grasp the providence and plan of Almighty God. Prophet Isaiah said it well in Isaiah 55, when it talked about God's ways being higher than our ways, and his thoughts higher than our thoughts. Never will we be able to comprehend totally this side of eternity, all the things that God does. But the Bible is very clear that in the way that God works, there are specific purposes that he has designed.

And if we as his children are able to understand them, then we understand our God. And if we like Abraham are willing to follow in obedience to God, then we will know more about God, and that's what happened to Abraham. He called upon his God, Yahweh Yireh, the Lord my provider. Abraham was able to know more of his God because of his test. And God has designed tests to come our way, that we might know more of our God. All that to say this, in the midst of your test, if you're not interested in knowing God, and knowing more about God, you'll probably fail your test.

Abraham wanted to know his God, so he'd be able to pass the greatest of all tests. So you understand that God's ways are concrete, God's ways are complete. In fact, the Psalmist said in Psalm 18 verse number 30, as for God, his way is perfect. Therefore, you can't add to it or take away from it because it's complete. The ways of God are not only concrete, they are complete. But there's something else you must understand about the ways of God. They are absolutely captivating. Listen to what Solomon says.

He says, for God has so worked that men should fear him. There's your answer. God's ways are concrete, God's ways are complete, so that man will be captivated by God, so much so they will stand in awe of who God is. And that is the ultimate purpose of life, that man would somehow come to grips with who Almighty God is and stand in awe of him, as Abraham would stand on Mount Moriah in complete aweness of who God is, because of his great and awesome power. And so now we understand in the midst of our test, in the midst of our tragedy, in the midst of our disappointment, in the midst of our difficulty, God's ultimate purpose is somehow to get man to fear him.

So now when you read Genesis 22 and God says to Abraham, now I know Abraham that you fear me. What was God's purpose behind the test for Abraham? That Abraham will be totally captivated by the God he serves. Why does God do what he does? Solomon told us in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, he does what he does so that man will learn to fear him. That's the question we have to ask ourselves. Do we fear Almighty God? Do we stand in awe of him? Are we captivated by his ways, his works, his wonders, his methods?

Are we like Abraham to whom God said, now I know that you fear me. Would God say that about you? As we went through our story last time in Genesis 22, we left off with how the test in Abraham's life would demonstrate that he feared his God. And we talked about what does it mean to fear God? Do you fear God? Do I fear God? And we looked first of all at saying, listen, if you fear God, number one, you submit to the commands of God, right?

You do what God says. Abraham did what God said. It sounded unreasonable. It sounded, for all practical purposes, it sounded pretty stupid. Go and kill your only son, Abraham. That's not a promise. The seed that would bring forth a greater seed, go and kill it. Doesn't make any sense. And let me tell you something, the test that comes your way is not gonna make any sense at all to you.

It might make sense to me as your pastor, but it might not make any sense at all to you. And you're saying, what do I do, God? And God says, you submit to my commands because I want you to fear me more than anything else.

And so Abraham did what God said. He feared his God. How do you know? He submitted to the command of God. Number two, you know you fear God because you stay away from sin.

You stay away from sin. Proverbs chapter six, verse number 16, records these words, by the fear of the Lord, one keeps away from evil. How do you know you fear the Lord? You stay away from sin. That's why in Acts five, when Ananias and Sapphira were killed, the Bible says in verse number 11, that great fear came upon the whole church.

Why? Because people in the church had lied. So the Bible says that great fear came upon the church. Why? Because they might be next. That's why. It would cause them to be pure. It would cause them to stay away from sin. See, so important. That's why first John speaks about the sin unto death.

First John five, 16. There's a sin unto death. What sin is that? The sin unto death is a sin that a believer commits habitually to the point where God says, your testimony is so bad.

I'm going to take you home to be with me. It's called the sin unto death. And John speaks about it in the first John five, verse number 16.

So you know you fear God because you stay away from sin. You're afraid that God's going to bring the hammer down on you because you sinned. And God does scourge and discipline every son in whom he loves. Hebrews 12 is very clear about that. Why? If you're a true child of his, he will discipline you because he wants you to remain pure and holy. That's why. So we know that you fear God if you, number one, submit to his commands.

Number two, stay away from sin. Number three, this is where we left off last time. You serve the Lord. You serve the Lord. Abraham served the Lord, his God. Abraham was a man who learned to stay away from sin. Abraham was a man who learned to submit to the commands of God. But he was one who served his God. Listen to the writer of Deuteronomy, sixth chapter, 13th verse. You shall fear only the Lord your God, and you shall serve him. Over in Deuteronomy 13, verse number four, you shall follow the Lord your God and fear him.

You shall keep his commandments, listen to his voice, serve him and cling to him. Over in Joshua chapter 24, verse number 14, now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth. How do you know you fear the Lord? You serve the Lord. That's how you know. Let me ask you a question.

You serve the Lord? Where are you serving the Lord? If you don't serve the Lord, you don't fear the Lord. That's what the Bible says over and over again.

It's important for us to realize that God has given us a ministry that we are to serve him. Therefore, as we serve him, we demonstrate the fact that we fear him. Why? Because we are so captivated by who he is. We are so awestruck by his mighty power and glory that all we can do is put ourselves at his disposal, that he would use us in a way that would bring greater glory to his name. How do you know you fear the Lord? You submit to his commands. You stay away from sin and you serve the Lord. Number four, you sanctify your life.

You sanctify your life. That is, you set apart your life for God's purposes. Over in 1 Peter 1, it records these words, very familiar words. It says in verse number 15, like the holy one who called you, be holy, be separate yourselves in all your behavior because it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy. And if you address as father, the one who impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon the earth. So you're gonna separate yourself.

You're gonna sanctify your life. You're gonna set your life apart for his purposes. Is that not what Abraham did? Sure he did. Everything was about God's purposes. Everything was about God's plans. Everything was about God's promises. So he would set his life apart to be used of God in a mighty way so that God himself would be glorified through his life. Peter would go on to say these words in 1 Peter 2, 17, honor all men, love the brotherhood and fear God. So important to understand what the word of the Lord says about the fear of God in man.

So we know we fear God because we submit to the commands of God. We know we fear God because we stay away from sin. We know we fear God because we serve the Lord. We know we fear God because we sanctify our lives. We set apart our lives for his purposes. And number five, we know we fear the Lord because we sacrifice to the Lord. Is that not what Abraham did? He sacrificed all of his hopes and dreams on the altar. He went through with it. Oh, he didn't have to slay a son, but in his mind, his son was as good as dead.

According to Hebrew chapter 11, he'd raised the knife. And the only thing that stopped him was the angel of the Lord, the pre-incarnate Christ who said, stop, stop, Abraham. Now I know you fear me. You are willing to sacrifice everything. How about you? Do you sacrifice unto the Lord? Abraham was a living sacrifice, right? Because he lived to the glory of God. If he'd have slayed Isaac, Isaac would have been a dead sacrifice. Abraham would have been a living sacrifice because he gave away everything that he hoped in.

Everything he dreamed for, he'd be willing to give it away. Next, how do you know you fear the Lord? Because you stand in awe of him. You stand in awe of him. First Chronicles 16, verse number 25 says, for great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.

He also is to be feared. So if you fear the Lord, you stand in awe of him. For he spoke and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. The Lord nullifies the council of nations. He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever. So those who fear the Lord stand in awe of him. Over in Acts chapter 2, verse number 43, the early church upon their birth, who devoted themselves steadfastly to the apostles' teaching, to prayer, to fellowship, and the breaking of bread, says that they all kept feeling a sense of fear.

It's the Greek word phobos, which means to tremble to fear. They stood in awe of what God had done. Those who fear the Lord stand in awe of him. Marvel at his greatness. Marvel at his goodness. Marvel at just who he is because he is so great. And then lastly, those who fear the Lord surrender to the Lord. Those who fear the Lord surrender to the Lord. Psalm 119, verse number 74. May those who fear thee see me and be glad because I wait for thy word. Those who fear the Lord surrender to him. That is, they surrender complete trust in their God.

Why? They wait upon their God. They believe in him. They trust him. Now you understand the ways of God. The ways of God that are concrete. The ways of God that are complete. Said every man will come to fear him. Why? Because he wants every man to submit to his commands. He wants every man to stay away from sin. He wants every man to sacrifice for him. He wants every man to surrender to him. He wants every man to set his life apart unto him for his purposes. He wants every man to be completely surrendered to him.

That's what he wants. That's why God does what he does. That's why God brings a test into your life. He wants you to be just like him. And Abraham heard the words. Now Abraham, I know that you fear me. He obeyed the commands of God. He took his son up on Mount Moriah. The place in the Hebrew which means foreseen by God. He took his son up there. His son carried the fire. His son carried the wood. They put the altar together. His son said, where's the lamb? God will provide himself as lamb. That was good enough for Isaac.

Didn't say another word. The text says his dad took him and he bound him. The text does not say that Isaac questioned his father. The text does not say that he debated with his father or fought with his father because he was the ultimate in submission to his father because he was the perfect type of Christ who would submit to his heavenly father. Abraham put him there, took the knife in his hand. He raised it and the angel of the Lord said, stop. Now I know that you fear me. And that brings us to our last point in Genesis 22.

We've looked at the sacrifice. We've looked at the submission. We have looked at the substitution and now the summation. And two things I want you to see in these concluding verses. The first is this.

That Abraham because of this test and his obedience to God revealed his confidence in the Lord's provision. The test in Abraham's life revealed Abraham's confidence in the Lord's provision. Pick up the narrative in verse number 14 where we left off last time. And Abraham called the name of that place. The Lord will provide as it is said to this day in the mount of the Lord. It will be provided. Listen, Abraham had confidence in God's provision. When you go through a test, if you don't have confidence that God himself will provide, you'll fail your test.

Abraham had confidence in God. He believed in his God, that God somehow would provide. And so what did he do? He called upon the name of the Lord. Yahweh Yira, the Lord will provide. Literally, the Lord shall be seen. That's the literal translation. Listen, what will be seen? Moriah means foreseen by God on the mount, which was foreseen by God. The Lord himself will be seen by all man. That's the exact translation of Genesis 22. On the Mount Moriah, on the mount of the Lord, the mount that means foreseen by God on that mountain.

Every man now will see the Lord God himself. And that was true at Calvary. And that will be true prophetically. When the Lord Jesus Christ himself rules from Jerusalem, from the city of David, which is on Mount Moriah, by the way, everybody will see. And so we understand that Abraham had confidence in God's provision that God would provide for him. And what did God provide? This is so good. God provided, number one, commendation.

Now I know, Abraham. Now I know you fear me. He was commended by God. God didn't get any new information about Abraham. He knew Abraham feared God. Abraham needed to know that he feared God. And what God was doing was commending in Abraham the quality that he wants of all of his children. Now I know, Abraham, you fear me. Commendation from God. Number two, there was illumination from God.

Wow. Yahweh Yirah. Now he knows his God will provide. Now he knows all will see God. Now he knows God as he has never known God before. And that is the purpose of your test. That somehow you will come to see God as you have never seen him before. As Job would say in Job 42, my ears have heard of you, but now for the very first time in all of my life, my eyes now see you.

And Job was the most righteous man on the face of the earth, but he had only heard of God. He had never seen God. See that? So important for us to grasp. That's why the psalmist said, listen very carefully, mark it down. Psalm 90 verse number 15. Are you ready for this? Make us glad. You want to be glad today? Raise your hand if you want to be glad today. There you go. You're with me. Everybody wants to be glad. Okay, how long? Read the rest of the verse here. Are you sure you want to be glad? Here it is.

Make us glad according to the days in which you have afflicted us. Still want to be glad? Make us glad according to the days which you have afflicted us in the years we have seen trouble. You see, Israel knew that when they were amidst affliction, that when they were in the midst of their trouble, that's when they were the most joyous. That's when they learned dependence upon their God. That's when they learned the character and nature of their God. And now when they're out of bondage, when they're out with freedom, walking around, everything was going good.

They were reminded of the fact that they were really glad in the years that God had afflicted them. There was something about affliction. There was something about the trial. There was something about the test that brings gladness that nothing else can bring to the child of God. Abraham received what? Commendation. Abraham received illumination. Abraham received confirmation. Listen to what it says. It says this in verse number 15. Then the angel of the Lord called Abraham a second time from heaven and said, by myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son.

Indeed, I will greatly bless you. And I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as a sand, which is on the seashore. And your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. And in your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice. That's the last thing God ever said to Abraham. That's it. He spoke to him less than 10 times in his entire life. And that's the last thing he said. And it was a confirmation of the promises of God. And that man needed to know the promises of God.

And when God takes you through a test and you trust in him for his provision, he will provide for you not only commendation, not only illumination, but he will provide for you confirmation as to his promises on your behalf. And that's what Abraham received. You know what else he received? Jubilation. Say, how do you know that? Jesus said it. John 8, verse number 56. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad. When did Abraham see that day? Genesis chapter 22. The Lord will provide himself.

See that? The jubilation that that man received. God is our provider. Ultimately, though, the thing you receive is salvation, right? Because it was that substitute on Mount Moriah, on the mount called Calvary, that Jesus Christ became your substitute, who died in your stead so you could live in his life. Salvation is the ultimate provision that God brings. So we see, as you summarize this chapter, that Abraham's test revealed his confidence in the Lord's provision. And lastly, reiterates his commitment to the Lord's precepts.

It says the very last thing in verse number 18. You have obeyed my voice. The story of Genesis 22 reiterates to us, once again, a man who's willing to submit to the precepts of Almighty God, no matter what he says and no matter when he says them. But you know what? That's not the best part of Genesis chapter 22. I was reading this this week and thought to myself, there's something more here. And I'm going to read it to you and you're going to say, what are you talking about? Let me read it to you.

So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba. You with me so far? Listen very carefully. These are the most astounding words in the text. Now it came about, after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Melchah also has born children to your brother Nahor. Uz, his firstborn, and Buz, his brother, and Camul, the father of Aram, and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlath, and Bethuel. And Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.

These eight, Melchah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother, and his concubine, whose name was Rumah, also bore Tebah, and Gaham, and Tehosh, and Maakah. There it is. I told you, you look at me like, our pastor has been in the sun too much.

Listen, it kind of sounds anti-climatic, doesn't it? The greatest of all chapters in the Old Testament about the Lord himself providing himself as a lamb. And then it closes out with his brother Nahor. And what's going on there? Why would God put that in there? You know why? This is so good. God introduces us to a young lady. Her name, Rebekah. You know why? It's so important for you to get. Those of us who are not in the line of the Messiah directly, how do you get into the line of the Messiah? You marry into the line.

And Rebekah will marry Isaac in just two chapters. How does one become a child of God? How does one become a Jew? Got to be born a Jew. Got to be adopted to the Jewish family. Or you got to marry a Jew. It's Christians. When we're born again, we're adopted in the family of God. And we are the bride of Christ. So rather than saying that the last few verses of Genesis 22 are anti-climatic, on the contrary, it's your promise and mine that we are a part of the Messianic line, that we are married to the Messiah because we, the church, are the bride.

As Rebekah would be married to the seed, Isaac, so now we, the bride of Christ, will one day be married to the bridegroom, Jesus Christ Himself. That is the ultimate promise of Genesis 22. That's the greatest thing about it. Are you part of the bride of Christ? Are you part of the kingdom of God? Have you recognized Him as your substitute? We're coming together this morning to partake at the Lord's table. Why? Because this is how we get in the line. This is how we get a part of the family. This is how the seed encompasses all the nations of the world to the one who on Mount Moriah 2,000 years ago gave His life, a ransom for many.

Let's pray together.