Genesis chapter 22 and we're going to read the first 19 verses and then Sam will be up.
That's the preacher's son.
Genesis chapter 22 verse 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.
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.
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,
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.
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.