Abraham's Greatest Test, Part 3

But today we're going to continue our study in Genesis chapter 22 Abraham's greatest test and just to let you know that there was one man who said it I came here who it was that God's Word is designed to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable if you are comfortable this morning I promise that you will leave afflicted if you are afflicted this morning I promise that you will leave comforted because that's what God's Word promises to do we look at a man a man who was tested severely the greatest of all tests and how he passed that test and what were the circumstances surrounding his life that accomplished this great purpose in his life that God wanted to see happen Genesis 22 verse number one now came about after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him Abraham and he said here I am he said take now your son your only son whom you love Isaac and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you so Abraham rose early in the morning saddled his donkey took two of his young men with him and Isaac's son and he split wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him on the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance and Abraham said to his young men stay here with the donkey and I and the lad will go yonder and we will worship and return to you and Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac's son and he took in his hand the fire and the knife so the two of them walked on together and Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said to him my father and he said here I am my son and he said behold the fire and the wood but where is the lamb for the burnt offering and Abraham said God will provide himself the lamb for the burnt offering my son so the two of them walked on together then they came to the place of which God had told him and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood and Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son but the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said Abraham Abraham and he said here I am and he said do not stretch out your hand against the lad and do nothing to him for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son your only son from me then Abraham raised his eyes and looked and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son we've already looked at the setting we've looked at the sacrifice we realize that there was a purpose behind the sacrifice God tested Abraham God wanted to prove the man's genuine nature he wanted to prove the man's salvation he wanted to produce something in this man he wanted to produce a steadfast endurance a fortitude a stick to it of this he wanted to be able to purify this man he wanted to be able to perfect this man there's always a purpose behind the test of God and ultimately behind every test listen carefully behind every test is something that God wants to do in such a significant way that he is put on display so when people see that test of God in your life they understand something more about the nature and character of Almighty God think of it that way and sure enough because of this test in Abraham's life there was something put on display about God and his character that when we read about this test we see more of God than we see of Abraham and what God is doing in Abraham's life we see about what God wants to do in our lives and what God wants to be that happen in our lives as he puts his glory on display through us and so we saw the purpose behind that sacrifice we saw the price behind that sacrifice he says offer your son your only son the one in whom you love Abraham that precious boy that one that you have put all your hopes in all your dreams in all your life in that's the boy why because the price of the greatest test comes down to one thing do you love God more than you love anything or anyone else and Abraham loved that boy he loved that boy more than life itself because everything about that boy was about the promise given to Abraham and how he would be a father of a multitude of people and so the price for Abraham was great it was a dearest thing to him and Abraham had come to a point in his life where he could be tested this way God knew what Abraham could handle to the grace that would be given to him because of Almighty God and God knows what you can handle and what you cannot handle and God only tests you a certain way in order for you to accomplish the purposes that he is designed specifically for you and so we saw the purpose behind the sacrifice we saw the price behind the sacrifice we saw the promise of that sacrifice take now your son take him now Abraham out of nowhere from that promise we saw the place Mariah what does Mariah mean anybody foreseen by God on that mount called Mariah which means foreseen by God there was something that was going to take place that had been foreseen in eternity past listen every test that comes your way has been foreseen by God you might think it comes out of nowhere but it doesn't it comes from somewhere it comes from someone and God foresaw it in eternity past and on this place Mariah there was something foreseen by God that this would be the place of ultimate redemption that this is one day be the place where Jesus Christ himself was offered up for the sins of the world from the sacrifice we moved to the submission and last week we noted Abraham's submission what faith this man had to believe in the promises of almighty God what a man of faith and a man of faith is a man of submission to God a man who wants to obey God and follow God and do whatever God has asked him to do that's the way Abraham was that's why he is the father of our faith because he is the ultimate man of submission to God to follow God and do whatever God says that's what he wanted to do and that leads us to where we are this morning Isaac's submission and reading the story I'm thinking you know we want to point out Abraham's submission and it was a great act but you know what almost an even greater act of submission is Isaac's willingness to go with his father and to be slain by his father maybe that's the greater act of submission after all he's the perfect type of Christ and it was Jesus Christ who said not my will but thine be done the greatest act of submission and so we see the perfect type of Christ in Isaac as he would obey his father and three things I want you to see number one I want you to notice the asking there's a question he asks he says my father Abraham responds here am I my son behold the fire and the wood but where is the lamb for the burnt offering where's the lamb dad what's going on you see you you've got to marvel at Isaac's perception Isaac knew that he and his father were going up to do what to worship they were going up to worship in order for there to be worship sins needed to be atoned for the only way sins can be atoned for is if a lamb was slain give Isaac some credit he knew what it meant to worship his God Isaac asked where's the lamb notice the answer that's point number two the answer and Abraham said God will provide himself as a lamb isn't that good God will provide himself as a lamb that's the answer listen Isaac God's gonna provide because God always provides it's important for you to understand that saviorship does not come because of what you do but because of what God provides salvation is about the provision of God atonement is about the provision of God redemption is about the provision of God God will provide himself as a lamb that is the gospel in the Old Testament and so when John the Baptist would come on the scene he would say behold the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sin of the world a fulfillment of Genesis chapter 22 the ultimate act of submission it's a it's a nasty word in today's society isn't it submission we don't like it but there is no worship without submission none whatsoever it is the key element to your worship learning to submit to God in all that he says in all that he wants from you and thirdly I want you to see the application application Isaac willingly went he did not struggle look what it says in verse number nine then they came to the place of which God had told him and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood and Abraham stretched out his hand and took the night to slay his son where does it say daddy no doesn't say that does it dad stop dad what are you doing no where does it say that does it he was a willing sacrifice notice the text says twice once in verse number six and once in verse number eight the two of them walked on together the application here is so great the two of them walked on together why how many times do we as parents instruct our children in such a way that they will be submit to our leadership you see the reason I was able to submit to his father's leadership is because his father so willingly and readily obeyed his heavenly father the next time your child says no to you the next time your child rebels against your authority don't discipline him before you examine your own life and ask where am I not submitting to God in my own life that's the first place you gotta look make sure you yourself are in total submission to the commands of God first because if in any way your son picks up on the fact that you are unsubmissive to your heavenly father it gives him the grounds to be unsubmissive to you his earthly father in his own mind dad doesn't always obey God why should I always obey him right you will note that the people who are most submissive to God find those who follow them most submissive to them husbands if you have a hard time getting your wife to submit to your authority maybe it's because you have not submitted to God's authority maybe you haven't been the leader that God wants you to be and therefore your wife rebels against your authority because you have rebelled against God's authority in your life the application here is far-reaching the two walk together the two would worship God together under the most severe circumstances it wasn't a happy time in their life it wasn't the fact that everything was going well no for all practical purposes everything was crumbling around about them but the only way to worship God is to do it in that realm knowing that God himself is in complete control they went together they went together if you're a husband does your wife worship with you in your church or another church if you're a parent your children worship with you in your church or do they go to another church do you know how many times I see that happen not only in our church but other churches well you know our children don't like the music at your church so we drop them off at another church and we come to your church what kind of leadership is that no kind of that is it's called how to forfeit leadership and let your children lead in your family we need to lead fellas we need to lead wives as parents we need to lead our children and Isaac would willingly follow his father because his father would willingly subject himself to his God that was the true act of worship Abraham submitted to God Isaac submitted to God and because of their submission God would reward them incredibly you want God to reward your life you want God to bless your life submit to the commands of Almighty God and he will bless you beyond measure and that leads us to the fourth point the substitution the substitution but the angel the Lord called to him from heaven and said Abraham Abraham verse 11 he said to him here I am and he said do not stretch out your hand against the lad and do nothing to him for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son your only son from me then Abraham raised his eyes and looked and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his thorns and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son you've got to notice the substitution why because through this God was going to prove something about his son the angel the Lord who's the angel the Lord the pre-incarnate Christ that's who it is the pre-incarnate Christ the angel of the Lord said to Abraham how do we know that that's God and not some ordinary angel because the text says since you have not withheld your son your only son from who from me that's how you know the angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Christ the angel of the Lord appears different times in the Old Testament it's called a theophany the the pre-incarnate Christ reveals himself and here this angel is called God because you haven't without your only son from me he says and God said I want you to offer your son up for me and so we know that the angel the Lord is Jesus Christ himself and here is the Lord Jesus Christ in acting out through Abraham and Isaac what he would soon fulfill on the cross of Calvary he would become our substitute what an amazing and amazing God we serve two things I want you to see as we can look at this and observe many truths about Abraham willing to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice two things I want you to see number one it demanded Abraham's faith in God go back with me if you would to Hebrews chapter 11 for a moment and it says in verse number 17 by faith Abraham when he was tested offered up Isaac and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son it was he to whom it was said in Isaac your descendants shall be called he considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead from which he also received him back as a type he submitted his life to his God Christ said it this way if any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me sacrificial obedience and this sacrifice that Abraham would offer demanded that he have faith in God and number two it demonstrated Abraham's fear of God this is so good look what it says do not stretch out your hand against the lad and do nothing to him for now I know that you fear God do you know you want to know why it is that when we leave here with all the information we have about God that we debate with God and we question God it's because we don't fear God Abraham did he feared God you say wait a minute I thought God was omniscient didn't God know that Abraham feared him yes Abraham had to know he feared God do you fear God God forgives you of your sins so that you will learn to fear him there's a negative side to God and that is I actually do fear him there's a certain terror there's a certain dread about my life expressed in Proverbs 16 verse number 6 by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil the fear of God acts as a protective measure to keep me from sinning I love the story told by G Campbell Morgan who went to Wales to see for himself the Welsh revival he heard a Welshman praying in English he was praying in English but thinking in his native tongue translated as he went along he started to quote these words there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared he stumbled at the second line after one or two attempts to express the idea he put it like this Oh Lord we thank thee that there is forgiveness with thee enough to frighten us that is that sin should frighten us the sinner fears God because God will condemn him the saint fears God because he might keep on sinning against him that's the difference do you fear God Abraham did he didn't want to sin against his God he didn't want to disobey his God he wanted to make sure that he did everything he recognized who God was the everlasting Father he recognized that he was El Shaddai the Almighty One he was the God Most High he understood his God and God only spoke to him nine times yet he knew he knew do you know and he feared his God I'm not gonna get through all them this morning but let me give you some ways you can examine your life to see whether or not you fear God number one you know you fear God because you submit to his commands that's what Abraham did he submitted to the commands of God you fear God by submitting to his commands it says in Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse number 6 therefore you shall keep the commandment to the Lord your God to walk in his ways and to fear him says in Psalm 128 verse number 1 how blessed is everyone who fears the Lord who walks in his ways when you shall eat of the fruit of your hands you will be happy and it will be well with you your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house your children like olive plants around your table behold for thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord do you fear the Lord do you understand who he is his character his nature do you understand that if you keep on sinning God will will deal with you why do we submit to one another because we fear God if you don't submit to your husband ladies and men you don't submit to your wives by giving yourself away to her you don't fear God because you haven't obeyed the command of God to submit to one another children if you don't obey your parents you don't fear God either you don't even fear your parents let alone God it says in Isaiah 8 verse number 13 the Lord of hosts shall be your fear and your dread how many times have we quoted it Isaiah 66 verse number 2 to this man will I look to him who is of a broken and a contrite heart and who shakes and shudders at my word God is looking for the kind of people that when the God's Word is open there's a shaking about their lives for what God is going to say and do was the last time you shook because of what God said about what you should do and you wonder why God's not using you how do you know you fear God because you submit to his commands number two you stay away from sin you stay away from sin Job knew it Job 28 verse number 28 and to man he said behold the fear of the Lord that is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding it says over in Exodus chapter 20 verse number 18 after God gave the Ten Commandments to to Moses he and all the people perceive the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking and And when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.

Then they said to Moses, Speak to us yourself, and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, lest we die. And Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid, for God has come in order to test you, in order that the fear of him may remain with you, so that you may not sin. These people were so afraid, they didn't even want God to speak. They wanted Moses to speak to them. They were so terrified of God. And Moses said, Don't be afraid. God has given you these commands, that you might fear him, consequently, that you may not sin.

Why do we sin? Because we don't fear God. We don't fear the consequences of sin. We don't fear the punishment of sin. We just think that God's going to love us, and he's not going to touch us, and everything's going to be okay. And yet, we totally bypassed 1 Corinthians 10, where people in the wilderness were killed, because all they did was complain against the Lord. And 23,000 were killed because of immorality. We totally bypassed those passages of Scripture. We bypassed 1 Corinthians 11, where it says that many are sick, and weak, and even died among you, because you have partaken of the Lord's table unworthily.

And the writer of Hebrews said, Listen, if you're not being scourged when you sin, you're probably not even saved. Because if you have a father who loves you, he will scourge you. And if you're sinning, and you're not being scourged, maybe he's not your father. He feared the Lord, and God said, Now I know Abraham, you fear me. Would God say that about your life? Would God say, I know. I know Bill. I know Mark. I know Jim. I know Sue. I know Betty. Yes, I know now you fear me. Why? Because you're willing to obey everything I say.

So much so, that you'll do everything you can to stay away from sin. Because I am your heart's desire. I am the sole object of your affection. Do you fear God? God wants to bless you. Abraham was blessed immensely because of his fear of God. So too, God will bless you immensely because you fear him. Let's pray.