You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
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My name is Lance Cooper. I'm one of the elders here at Southwood. Don't worry, I'm not preaching.
I know some of you, like Alan Judge, are probably pretty nervous.
But Derek called me this week and asked if I would read Scripture before he preached today.
So I'd ask that you just kind of listen to one of these old, old stories.
A story that's thousands of years old that's been listened to and read generation after generation after generation of people who have hoped and trusted in God's providence.
And this is Genesis 22, verses 1 through 14.
After these things, God tested Abraham and said to him,
Abraham, and he said, here I am.
He said, take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.
So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac.
And he cut wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.
Then Abraham said to his young men, stay here with the donkey.
I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac, his son.
And he took in his hand the fire and the knife.
So they went both of them together.
And Isaac said to his father, Abraham, my father.
And he said, here I am, my son.
He said, behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?
Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.
So they went both of them together.
When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there.
And laid the wood in order and bound Isaac, his son, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.
Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham.
And he said, here I am.
He said, do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him.
For now I know that you fear God.
Seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from me.
And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked.
And behold, behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns.
And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
So Abraham called the name of that place the Lord will provide.
As it is said to this day, on the mount of the Lord, it shall be provided.
One of the most famous passages in scripture has a lot to take in.
There's a lot of different ways we could look at this.
But hopefully we can find encouragement today from this passage.
That's one of my jobs as a preacher is to encourage you from the word of God with what it says.
So before we jump in, looking at that passage and picking it apart, I want to start with a story of a guy named Luke Akins.
Has anybody ever heard of Luke Akins?
No?
I hadn't either.
But just a few years ago, he stepped into history as the first person ever to jump from an airplane at 25,000 feet without a parachute.
A 42-year-old skydiver has made history.
Luke Akins became the first person to jump from a plane without a parachute and land in a net on Saturday, falling 25,000 feet.
Here is Mireya Villarreal.
Doors open. Here we go.
You could call him Luke's sky jumper.
Luke Akins' death-defying leap unlike anything anyone seen in this galaxy.
Beginning at 25,000 feet, he soars through the air without a parachute for two minutes.
Other skydivers stay by his side before removing his oxygen mask for his final descent.
There goes the chutes.
Luke is on his own.
Seconds later, he hits his mark, a 100-by-100-foot net.
He's in!
His wife and teammates rush to greet him.
I'm almost levitating. It's incredible.
The words I want to say can't even get out of my mouth.
He and I have
Aikens has been jumping since he was 12 and has made more than 18,000 jumps with a parachute.
But as a father and husband, he says this stunt needed to be more than just a leap of faith.
There's an inherent risk with what I'm doing, but I feel like it's a calculated risk.
When you're out in the air after you exit, the feeling is awesome.
There's no going back. That's the feeling that I love. That's what I do this for.
Mireya Villarreal, CBS News, Los Angeles.
you could call him Luke's sky jumper did you hear that one unlike anyone seen in this galaxy
that was a lame line but for two full minutes he's falling he trained for two years I guess
you could say his whole life really but two years just for that jump and all he had no plan b
and all he was trusting was that everyone who had talked to him about it being safe and catching him
that that net would catch him trusting that they were telling the truth and that's a lot of what it
can feel like when God calls us to do something okay you don't get all the steps outlined up front
he had a few more you don't see every turn ahead but you do have just enough information to take
the first leap and you had to trust that you're going to land exactly where he promises in the
scriptures can you think of a time maybe in your life when God nudged you or called you somewhere
and did you have every single bit of information that you needed about every step of the way
I remember when I first was called into ministry I was painting houses I was out of college and it
was like this song stuck in my head go talk to so and so at this church and ask him if they have a job
and I knew he would say no but later that led to the call in ministry and I just knew I had to go do it
I can also recall vividly when God called us to leave Washington DC where we're serving in a church
for nine years it was an undeniable clear answer that it was time to go take a next step
at a new church and it was incredible I was like God's in this for about two years and then it was awful
and then confusion set in and then something wasn't right and little did I know we were entering into
some of the the more challenging years of our life and it didn't make sense and sometimes that's
exactly how God's call feels clear enough to step out but confusing enough to require faith beyond what
we can see ourselves because God's call can seem confusing it really can't we want a GPS right with
all of the details but so many times most all of the time actually God hands us a compass and he just
says go that way I saw this fun video on the internet that uh that kind of like captures I
think the heart of how confusing it could be my child this is God yes God quit your job you will
not miss any money you will get a check every week for ten thousand dollars and become a millionaire
okay yes God my child this is God yes God I need you to quit your job and then what
hello
you you ever been there
so Abraham had been there he'd been there many times okay and now we get to enter into another
one of those moments where God gives him a compass and not a GPS I'm going to read the first eight
verses again after these things God tested Abraham and said to him Abraham and he said here I am
he said take your son your only son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah there's the compass
and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you
so Abraham rose early in the morning saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and his
son Isaac and he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told
him on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar then Abraham said to his
young men stay here with the donkey I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you
and Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son and he took in his hand the
fire and the knife so they went both of them together and Isaac said to his father Abraham my father and he
said here I am my son he said behold the fire and the wood but where's the lamb for a burnt offering
Abraham said God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering my son so they went both of them
together
in this passage Abraham gets another compass and God's call can seem confusing but this call seems horrific
doesn't it
and it's even more horrific if you understand the backstory okay so in Genesis 12 Abraham was handed a compass
and he was told by God go to the land that I'll show you just head that way
and then in Genesis 15 God gives him a little more info he says hey look at all the stars
if you can count all those stars
that's how many your offspring will be
and then in Genesis 17
God makes the promise to Abraham that he will be a father of a multitude of nations
but how can he be father Abraham of a multitude of nations if he doesn't have a son
so he's got more info but he still doesn't have all of the information so Abraham and his wife Sarah they
try to have a baby and they wait and they wait and they trust and they trust and they grow older and they
grow older and then after 10 years of waiting
they get desperate
you ever been there
where you're waiting but you get desperate and you try to fix things yourself
I think that's where they were
okay
and they wanted to wait but they wanted the promise
and they believe the promise
so Sarah says I've got an idea
I think Abraham what God may have meant
was that you should have a child with our servant Hagar
maybe that's how he's going to provide the son
because I can't have a child for you
and so he did that
and they named the child Ishmael
but that shortcut only created more resentment
and more brokenness in the family
and just like in Eden
what followed
was shame
and broken relationships
there was sin involved
but God's plan was not undone
and his plan's not undone
in our brokenness either
you can take heart there
and the good news is he doesn't run away from broken people
this was a very messy family
you ever thought your family's too messy for God
well just take a little look here
dig a little deeper
you're not alone
okay
15 years later
25 years after Abraham and God had had that conversation
God's promise shows up
and Sarah
she has a son
at the youthful age of 90
and Abraham was the 100 year old dad
and they named him Isaac
and it's through Isaac
that God's promises to Abraham
and to us
would be fulfilled
the end
they lived happily ever after
let's pray
plot twist
the tension between Sarah and Hagar
got so bad
that Sarah
sends Hagar away
with Ishmael forever
boom
get out of here
right
this already broken family
becomes
more broken
except
for the joy over Isaac
the miracle baby
their only son
and now Isaac
the son that they've been waiting 25 years for
who they love with all their heart
the promised one
God says
Abraham
put him on the altar
kill the promise
this call seems horrific
now
what's happening here
and
was this horrific to Abraham
does it seem as horrific to him
as it does to us
I don't think so
I don't think it was as horrific to Abraham
as it seems to us reading this right now
because Abraham had seen God
keep his promise
all right
and provide him
and now he's trusting him to do it again
I think something developed there
even if it meant raising Isaac from the dead
if you look at Hebrews 11
it says
he considered that God was able
even to raise him from the dead
which figuratively speaking
he did receive him back
there it is
okay
that's what I want you to hang on today
resurrection faith
he knew the God who made the promise
was trustworthy
and God's promise was Abraham's net
beneath him
always present
always secure
even when he couldn't see it
okay
remember he had wiggled in his faith
a little bit
when he took matters into his own hands
they had Ishmael
it didn't work out so well
and I think that he realized though
if God still loves me through this brokenness
he really loves me
and he always had that destination
in mind
which you read about earlier in the bulletin
that heavenly mountain
that house that God's building
so
why does this feel more horrific to us today
than I think it felt to Abraham
first would be this
we forget that this is a test
if you look at the text
it says it's a test
and even in Hebrews it says it's a test
you think about training
there's no
Navy SEAL that's going into training
thinking
man this is probably going to be pretty easy
now they get in there
and the tougher the mission
the tougher the test
this is father Abraham
and God's speaking a language
that makes sense to him
do you remember where there were
baby sacrifices on mountains
there's a God called Molech
this would have been all around
God's speaking a language that makes sense
and he's about to make a statement
that I'm different than these other gods
so it's a test first of all
I think Abraham would have seen this as a test
and he would have signed up for this
right
he knew that he was on a special mission
I think the other reason why this may seem so horrific to us
is because
we've been shaped by a lie
a little bit
we'll dig down on that just for a second
and that lie detours how we trust God
in America
what I mean by that
we don't really have a lot of room for God
to call us to uncomfortable things
in our lifestyles
so when we open a passage like Genesis 22
and we hear God say
lay your son on the altar
we flinch more
not just because it's heavy
which it is
but because it confronts the false heavens
that we are constantly trying to build here on earth
now in the west
we have crafted this version of Christianity
that is more about comfort
than it is about calling of God
and it's more about escaping reality
than it is about being transformed by it
it's more about control
than it is about surrender
and we don't leave any room for tough things to happen
in our plan
let me try to give you a little picture
of what this looks like
okay imagine this desktop is your life
okay
it's more than just clutter
it's the world we're trying to manage
missed promotion
will I ever retire
broken relationships
does anybody really like me
the folder of regrets
trying to be enough
things I worry about
shame I keep secret
pressure to be the cool mom or dad
parenting guilt
and somewhere off to the side
you're going to see this Jesus folder
we say
Jesus is the center of my life
but the live screen says completely otherwise
we spend most of our days
opening every other file
trying to manage everything ourselves
controlling it
and fixing everything
no margin
no surrender
just survival
but watch what happens
when we begin taking it all
the weight of managing it all
the mess
the pressure
the pain
into one place
into Jesus
it's surrender
and what happens
more space
space to breathe
space to rest
space to trust
space to be near Jesus
and somehow
the very things
that were holding us back
the clutter
and the fear
and the noise
they become the doorway
to Jesus
the doorway
to trust him
with everything
and that
that's the healthy rhythm
of the Christian life
not knowing every outcome
but every day
every moment
surrendering and saying
this
belongs to you
all of this
so freedom isn't found
in asking Jesus
to bless our kingdoms
that's where we get stuck
okay
it's found in surrendering
and sacrificing
our kingdoms
to his
that's why the scriptures say
to offer your bodies
as a living sacrifice
offer your lives
everything
because the truth is
any heaven
that we build
apart from Jesus
is eventually
going to end up
in the trash bin
deleted forever
you ever believe
this lie
I have
I love God
but I spend most of my time
building a life
that's free from need
or worry
or suffering
and it's focused
on never being bored
looking the best
all the time
having all the best things
I've ever dreamed of
avoiding and ignoring
suffering
or hard things
at all costs
that is the current
that we live in
in America
in American churches
and underneath
all of that
paradise building
is a longing
for a real paradise
and that's the destination
that God's compass
is always pointing toward
if you expect
paradise now
suffering
or heartache
or anything like that
that God calls us to
is always going to make you
feel like God's
betraying you
okay
Abraham did not expect
paradise now
and I don't think
he felt betrayed
by God's request
either
because he knew
that it was a test
a holy test
and he had room
in his world view
for hard things
and he knew
that God was going
to call him
to hard things
and he had seen
God provide
through all those
hard things
so to Abraham
when he walked
into this situation
Isaac was never
even truly lost
you see it in the text
he says
we'll come back
to you
when they go up there
we'll come back
we're going to go over there
and worship
and we'll be back
and the promise of God
was more real to him
than even the fear
of that unknown
so don't you want
faith like that
I want faith like that
the resurrection faith
and that's what it is
it's not the absence
of fear
or the absence
of bad things
or the absence
of suffering
or the absence
of discomfort
it's not having
all the answers
and knowing how
everything's going
to work out
but it's the presence
of a net
always underneath us
always sure
a net made
of God's
unbreakable promises
wherever you go
whatever you're going
through
so what about us
okay
what do we do
when God's call
doesn't match
our curated versions
of the good life
when the call
seems horrific
or even just
uncomfortable
what do we do
when the very thing
that we love the most
is placed on the altar
what if the thing
that you treasure
the most
becomes the thing
that God invites you
to surrender
I think that you
you keep the destination
in mind
that's what I think
we do in those moments
because for Abraham
and for us
it's the destination
that makes the difference
in everything else
okay
when they came
to the place
of which God
had told him
Abraham built
the altar there
and he laid the wood
in order
and bound Isaac
his son
and he laid him
on the altar
on top of the wood
then Abraham
reached out his hand
and took the knife
to slaughter his son
but the angel
of the Lord
called to him
from heaven
and said
Abraham
and he said
here I am
he said
do not lay
your hand
on the boy
or do anything
to him
for now I know
that you fear God
seeing you've not
withheld your son
your only son
from me
and Abraham
lifted up his eyes
and looked
and behold
behind him
was a ram
caught in a thicket
by his thorns
his horns
and Abraham
went
and took
the ram
and offered
it up
as a burnt
offering
instead of his son
so Abraham
called the name
of that place
the Lord
will provide
as it is said
to this day
on the mount
of the Lord
it shall be
provided
the mountains
of Moriah
that's where he was
that was the
destination
the compass
that God
had given him
in this particular
text
and the destination
is the difference
in this story
and the destination
is the difference
in our story
God is always
always always
writing a much
bigger story
than we can see
and here we get
a glimpse
of all of it
right
this is where
the compass
is always pointing
the mount
of the Lord
that New Testament
reading earlier
you see it
it says
that by faith
he went to live
in a land
of promise
as in a foreign
land
living in tents
for he was
looking forward
to the city
that has
foundations
whose designer
and builder
is God
on the mount
of the Lord
it shall be
provided
the net
underneath us
when we can't
see and don't
know the next
steps
Abraham
wasn't walking
blind
okay
he was walking
toward a promise
and that's
what resurrection
faith does
and that's
what I want
us to have
that's what
I want to have
it sees beyond
the altar
and it hears
past the silence
and it knows
that even when
God's call
is confusing
his promises
are still true
and it says
this belongs
to you
so here's
the question
was it really
just about
Isaac
or was it
about something
bigger
and something
eternal
when Isaac
I remember
reading this
in Hebrew
when we took
Hebrew
and when
this part
particularly
stuck with me
when Isaac
looks at his
dad and he
says where's
the lamb
for the
offering
something about
the Hebrew
it like
really
guts you
and Abraham
says God
will provide
on the mount
of Moriah
he did
but it was
a ram
not a lamb
because the
lamb came
later
didn't it
this whole
story isn't
just about
Abraham
and Isaac
it's about
Jesus
and us
and it's a
preview
of the
destination
that makes
all the
difference
and here's
why that
matters
because Jesus
is the
difference
because Jesus
is the
resurrection
and the
resurrection
is the
destination
okay
centuries
later
on the
same
mountain
range
mind you
another
beloved
son
would
carry
wood
on his
back
he'd
ascend
alone
he'd cry
out my
God
my
God
why have
you
forsaken
me
and this
time the
knife
wouldn't
stop
would it
there
would be
no
ram
in the
thicket
either
because
he was
the
lamb
that
God
will
provide
and the
true
and the
better
Isaac
who
wouldn't
just be
spared
but
slain
with
Jesus
so that
we
the
guilty
ones
might
live
and think
if you
were able
to stand
at the
foot of
the cross
next to
Abraham
and look
up
I imagine
he would
say this
is the
lamb he
was talking
about
this is
how much
God loves
me
he doesn't
ask us
to sacrifice
our loved
ones like
the other
gods of
Abraham's
time
he gives
his own
so that
through faith
in him
we may
become
children
of promise
okay
that's what
this passage
is about
if you look
in Galatians
and Romans
Paul
exegetes
this passage
a bit
the son
of the
slave
woman
this is
talking
about
the
Ishmael
line
was born
according
to the
flesh
the son
of the
free
woman
born
through
promise
you
like
Isaac
are
children
of
promise
and
then
in
Romans
through
Isaac
shall
your
offspring
be
named
okay
says
that
not
all
who
are
descended
from
Israel
belong
to
Israel
not
all
are
children
of
Abraham
but
through
Isaac
your
offspring
shall
be
named
this
means
that
it's
not
the
children
of
the
flesh
who
are
the
children
of
God
but
the
children
of
the
promise
okay
Paul
is
teaching
us
what
everything
means
here
that
Israel's
line
Israel's
line
represents
the
flesh
what
we
do
in
our
own
strength
Isaac's
line
who
came
through
Isaac's
line
Jesus
represents
the
spirit
trusting
only
in what
God
has done
and
provided
okay
where
are
you
this
is
the
difference
okay
see
Paul's
contrast
isn't
just
theological
it's
very
personal
one
path
ends
in
chains
the
other
ends
in
joy
okay
death
entered
the world
through
one
man
and
that
death
is also
eternal
and
y'all
that's
what
we're
born
into
children
of
slavery
that's
what
it
means
to
be
a
slave
to
sin
okay
and
enslaved
by
the
fear
of
death
but
what's
the
difference
between
these
two
Jesus
he's
the
destination
that
makes
the
difference
Jesus
is
the
resurrection
and
the
resurrection
is
the
destination
for
those
who
move
from
that
chain
to
joy
and
so
how
do
you
move
from
chains
to
joy
we
have
to
altar
first
we
put
our
lives
there
not
as
victims
but
as
living
sacrifices
offered
to
the
one
who
gave
everything
for
us
through
faith
in
Jesus
then
you're
adopted
into
his
family
and
you
move
down
to
that
bottom
line
there
and
what
is
faith
the
assurance
of
the
things
hoped
for
the
certainty
of
the
things
not
seen
right
the
net's
not
going
to
break
it's
there
the
final
destination
is
no
in
that
direction
as
vessels
of
mercy
as
instruments
of
righteousness
on
the
mountain
of
the
Lord
it
shall
be
provided
Jesus
is
the
provision
Jesus
is
the
promise
the
joy
the
resurrection
and
the
destination
and
if
he's
the
destination
then
everything
belongs
to
him
okay
now
remember
earlier
I told
you
about
leaving
DC
and
stepping
out
into
what
felt
like
a
God
ordained
call
only
to
find
myself
in
one
of
the
hardest
seasons
of
my
life
ever
well
after
that
confusion
after
those
years
that
felt
like
it
was
a
wilderness
we
ended
up
here
washed
up
on
the
shores
of
Southwood
Presbyterian
Church
Will
Spink
came
out
of
his
house
with
his
broom
he
scooped
me
up
and
he
walked
over
and
he
said
preach
on
Abraham
and
Isaac
right
but
looking
back
now
I
see
what
I
couldn't
see
then
God
wasn't
punishing
me
he
didn't
abandon
me
his
compass
never
lost
its
destination
even
when
I
did
and
maybe
right
now
I
got to
think
some
of
you
are
in a
situation
that
could
be
like
that
right
where
God's
calling
you
to
put
your
kingdom
on
the
altar
or
something
that
you
love
on
the
altar
and
maybe
he's
been
nudging
you
towards
something
new
or
something
uncertain
or
confusing
or
stretching
and
you've
got only
a compass
in your
hand
and
knowing
that
you've
got to
take
the
first
step
I
want
you
to
remember
this
his
promises
are
underneath
every
step
that
you
take
he's
with
you
on
the
road
you
can
call
him
into
the
chaos
you
can
put
the
folders
away
and
you
can
go
be
with
Jesus
and
sit
at
his
feet
and
say
take
this
and
remember
that
the
path
underneath
your
feet
is
paved
with
God's
promises
and
that
the
end
of
your
journey
is
the
same
end
of
Abraham's
journey
it's
called
Mount
Zion
in
the
Old
Testament
but
it's
heaven
and
think
of
this
Abraham
looked
ahead
to
Jesus
his
faith
was
credited
to
him
as
righteousness
we
look
back
to
what
Jesus
did
and
ahead
to
the
Mount
Zion
so
we
unite
with
Abraham
in
the
destination
God
might
be
testing
us
too
right
he
might
be
testing
us
too
but
remember
he
loves
you
and
underneath
that
your
feet
are
a
path
paved
with
his
promises
and
one
day
we're
going to
be
together
in
heaven
if you
put your
faith
in
Christ
right
we're
going to
be able
to look
back
and talk
about
you remember
that time
we were
in church
and we
talked
about how
we were
going to
look
back
one
day
and talk
about
that time
in church
when you
talk
about it
we're
going to
do
that
in heaven
it's a
reality
and you're
going to
be able
to look
back
and you're
going to
see what
you can't
see now
that God
isn't punishing
you
okay
he's preparing
you
for
eternity
the life
that's way
bigger
than this
life
and he
hasn't
abandoned
you
he's
leading
you
home
his
compass
never
loses
its
destination
you can
be certain
of that
because
of Jesus
all
of this
belongs
to you
let's
pray
father
so much
in this
text
but may
we just
pause
for a
minute
and
remember
that
you're
in
control
and
wherever
we
are
Lord
Jesus
would
you
enter
into
the
space
enter
into
our
spaces
by
your
Holy
Spirit
and
people
here
don't
know
you
would
you
please
save
them
would
they
look
to
you
and
what
you
put
on
the
altar
to
give
them
eternal
life
Lord
Jesus
would
they
move
from
chains
to
joy
from
death
to
life
by
just
saying
adopt
all
this
belongs
to
you
father
to
those
of
us
who
have
done
it
and
getting
so
caught
up
in
managing
our
lives
and
the
good
life
and
getting
all
the
things
and
don't
ask
me
to
do
this
or
that
because
I've
got
a
big
life
to
live
may
we
stop
and
remember
the
real
life
is
the
one
ahead
and
the
one
we're
living
in
now
is
a
preparation
for
eternity
I pray
these
things
for
me
that
I
would
do
these
things
I
struggle
with
all
of
these
things
that
I'm
talking
about
so
we
give
it
to
you
Lord
Jesus
and
ask
you
to
bless
this
church
by
the
name
of
Jesus
Christ
we
offer
ourselves
to
you
as
living
sacrifices
would you
do
something
special
and give
us
that
resurrection
faith
would
you
be
the
difference
Lord
Jesus
it's
in
Christ's
name
I
miracle