Well, good evening everyone and welcome.
As it's already been said, my name is Alster.
I have the privilege of being on staff here
and the privilege of opening Genesis 22 for us this evening.
But as we start, let me ask us a question.
Have you ever been on a long journey,
which is both easy and difficult?
Well, nearly five years ago when my wife and I got married,
on our honeymoon, we went on what we thought would be a quick hike.
Now, this was in Austria.
No hike is quick in Austria.
And after six hours of ups and downs,
of smooth wooden floors, paths surrounded by beautiful trees,
and of steep, steep, rocky paths where you would lose your footing,
we managed to make it all the way to the top
of a 2,023 meters above sea level mountain.
It was a pretty difficult hike,
especially for an unfit person like I was and am.
But finally, we reached the top.
And it all was worth it.
The journey, regardless of how difficult it was,
was totally worth the amazing view that we saw.
And as we come to this final installment of the series of the life of Abraham,
I think we can probably agree that it's been a pretty difficult journey.
We have seen ups and downs.
It's almost as if Abraham's life is a steep mountain climb.
He's gone on a steep and difficult path.
But on a hike along the way, there was little breaks and gaps in the trees.
And from those gaps, you can see, you could see amazing views like this one.
And the same has happened with Abraham.
As he's been journeying through this difficult path of life,
he's seen little glimpses of hope.
He's seen amazing promises of God.
As he went through the difficulty of waiting 25 years for the birth of his son Isaac.
As he walked away from his father's house and left the life that he knew behind him
because God had told him to.
We've seen him rejoice and live obediently.
And we've seen him downcast and live in disobedience.
But one of the constants throughout this whole narrative of the life of Abraham has been God.
And the big truth that runs throughout this whole story is that God is faithful.
Time and time again, we have seen the faithfulness of God.
The God who created the world with his words.
The God who sustains the very universe that we live in.
The God who knows everyone who has ever lived and will ever live.
Decided to reveal himself to this man, Abraham.
Was God faithful?
Absolutely.
He certainly was.
And since Genesis 12, Abraham has obeyed.
He's disobeyed.
He's been a man of faith and a man of failings.
Even last week, we saw how he fell into the same old sin and lied about the identity of his wife to save his own skin.
Genesis 12, we see the amazing promises of God.
And they've come up again and again in these chapters.
Abraham is to be the father of a great nation.
But one problem stood in the way.
Sarah was barren.
And then last week in Genesis 21, we saw God work a miracle.
And Sarah gave birth to Isaac.
And then we turn to Genesis 22.
And we see Abraham going through the ultimate test.
And the question that I think runs through this passage in Genesis 22 and the whole of Abraham's life really is this question.
Abraham, will you surrender?
Abraham, will you listen to the will of God?
Will you act on God's revealed will?
Will you surrender all and follow God?
So that's the question I want us to have in the back of our minds this evening as we travel through this passage, which is difficult, but which is wonderful.
In Genesis 22, we see God telling Abraham to do something difficult.
And as I've been thinking about this this week, I wondered how I would respond if I was asked to surrender all in his situation.
And I'll be honest.
And in his particular situation, I think I'd struggle.
In fact, I know I'd struggle.
But thankfully, God gives his amazing grace and accepts even a fallen heart like mine.
So not only does this passage encourage us to think about this question in light of Abraham's life, but I want us to think about it for ourselves as well.
Will we surrender all?
Will you surrender all to God?
So let's dive into Genesis 22 and we'll see three things.
A difficult request from God, a devout response of Abraham and a definitive reward from God.
So the first thing we see is a difficult request from God in verses one and two, a difficult request from God.
Now, right at the outset of this passage, you'll see in verse one that we have an insight that Abraham didn't have.
We're told that God was testing Abraham.
Abraham had no idea that what God is about to tell him is a test.
This test will prove whether or not Abraham's faith in God is genuine.
Now, it is important to know that God is not enticing Abraham to sin.
But instead, he is giving him the opportunity to prove his allegiance to God.
This is an opportunity for Abraham to show God the lengths that his obedience will take him.
And to show whether or not he has true confidence in God.
God calls Abraham.
And the first words you hear from Abraham's mouth are a declaration that he is ready to listen.
He is ready to act on the words that God is going to say to him.
Do you see that in verse one?
Here I am.
Lord, use me.
I am ready to obey you.
And then in verse two, we have the request.
But this isn't really a request.
It's actually more of a command.
God is telling Abraham what he is going to do.
Just like in Genesis 12, where God told Abraham to leave his father's house.
Read verse two with me.
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 I will show you.
Can you imagine how Abraham is feeling with every single word that God says in that verse?
With every single word, it's as if a dagger is being pushed into his heart further and further.
Can you imagine his pain?
His confusion?
How can God tell Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?
This is the child that he's been waiting for for 25 years since God promised him a son.
This is the God, this is the son, sorry, through whom the promises of Genesis 12 will all come true.
And now you want me to sacrifice him?
Why?
Why God?
Isn't that what you'd expect Abraham to say?
And even worse, not only will Isaac or would Isaac be taken away from him,
but Abraham is told that it is his hand that will take his own son's life.
Abraham wouldn't be handing his son over to another person,
but it is his knife that will take his son's life.
What a painful and confusing request.
God is telling Abraham to go to an unknown location
to do something that is unthinkable for every single parent in this world.
And the big question as we look at this command from God is,
why?
Why would God ask such a thing?
And the answer that this passage would encourage us to conclude
is that this command was given so that Abraham could prove his faith to God.
Now God knew Abraham had faith,
and we've seen that as we've looked through his life on Sunday evenings.
But now Abraham's faith is to be backed up by his actions.
Abraham's actions will prove that his faith is real.
He isn't to have this attitude of let's let go and let God know.
Abraham is to have an attitude of let's trust God and get going.
Now this request from God to Abraham is unique to him and to his particular situation.
God is not giving us, thankfully, the same command as he gives Abraham in this passage.
But let me ask us a question.
Something I struggled with this week.
What are we holding back from God?
Whether you've been a Christian for years, for months or for days,
what are you holding back from God?
As I was preparing this week, I thought to myself,
can I really stand before God and say, here I am?
Or am I more likely to say, God, I'm here, but look at all this nice stuff you can have.
Take that, but please don't touch this bit.
That's mine.
I've heard someone describe it as when you become a Christian,
you invite God to move into your life and you treat it like a house.
You give him the grand tour.
God, look at all these amazing, marvelous things you can have.
You can have this room and this room.
But when God asks about that little door at the back of the house
that you've kept locked and hasn't seen the light of day for years,
no, God, you don't really want that bit, do you?
I need that bit.
I'm not ready to give it up.
That's still mine.
Is that how we treat God?
Or will you surrender all?
Are we willing to surrender our actions to God,
to let his will for our lives guide us and take us where he wants us to go?
We cannot be called Christians and not act upon our faith.
We cannot let go and let God.
We are to trust God and get going.
We have to act.
Will we surrender all?
You become stronger only when you become weaker.
When you surrender your will to God, you discover the resources to do exactly what God has asked you to do.
God always has and always will look for men and women who say to him,
God, I trust you so much.
I'm all in.
I want your way to be my way.
I am willing to live by faith.
And God is so gracious to us that even when we are stubborn, he is patient.
But we are called to surrender all to God.
Will you surrender all?
The next thing that we see in this passage is a devout response of Abraham.
Verses 3 to 12, a devout response of Abraham.
How would you expect Abraham to respond to this command?
This confusing and this painful command?
Put yourself in his shoes for a moment.
Feel his pain and his confusion as God tells him to sacrifice his own son.
How does he respond?
Look at verse 3.
Early the next morning, Abraham got up and loaded his donkey.
What?
If you were to sit down with Abraham and ask him about this whole thing,
he might say, yes, I was confused.
I was afraid as every single parent would be.
So why, Abraham?
Why did you obey this command?
And he might look you square in the eye and say,
because I have confidence in my God.
I know the God who called me from my father's home
and sent me to a land promised to me.
I know that God continues to bless me despite my shortcomings.
I obeyed because I know that the promises of God will not be thwarted.
I obeyed because I know the one who commanded me.
I know my God, Abraham might say.
As I was reading this passage, I was stuck by the time frame of it all.
It happens very, very quickly.
It doesn't happen quickly, sorry.
God didn't command Abraham to sacrifice Isaac there and then in the moment.
But Abraham is to travel to a specific place three days journey away.
And you see that in verse four.
That means that Abraham would have time to think, time to doubt.
Even as he sat and he chopped the wood,
thinking all the time that the twigs he held in his hand,
in a few days his son would be lying on them.
As he takes one step after the other towards this place that God has shown him,
every step is closer to the moment where he will have to kill his son.
But in verse five,
you see a hint of Abraham's confidence that God will come through.
Abraham 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.
We will worship.
And we will come back to you.
These are not empty words.
Nor are they the hopeful words of a distraught father.
These are the words of a man who is confident in God.
That God will fulfill his covenant promises through Isaac as he said he would.
Hebrews 11 verses 17 to 19 shed some light on Abraham's thinking here.
And the words are on the screen.
By faith, Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.
He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son,
even though God had said to him,
It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.
This is the important part.
Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead.
Abraham was so confident in God
that even if he did have to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering,
that God would keep his covenant promises
and raise Isaac from the dead and return Isaac to him.
And you see his confidence.
We will go and worship, Abraham says to his servants,
but both of us will return to you.
And Abraham is walking with Isaac
in full expectation that he's going to have to kill his son.
And look at the painful details in verse 6.
Isaac carries the wood
and Abraham carries the blade and the fire.
Isaac is carrying the wood that he will be lying on in just a few verses.
He carries a heavy burden.
And Abraham carries the two smaller things,
fire and the knife.
But even though these are small items,
I can imagine they felt as lead in his hands.
Abraham and Isaac both have a heavy burden to bear,
but they are going together.
As they walk, Isaac is innocently obeying his earthly father.
And Abraham, with every step,
more and more agony,
yet confident in his God,
is obeying his heavenly father.
Imagine the heaviness over that conversation
as they walked towards the mountain.
Abraham probably wasn't in much of a talking mood.
And Isaac, possibly starting to get a little bit suspicious,
asked, Dad, where's the lamb?
And again, you see Abraham's confidence.
God will provide the lamb.
Now, we don't know whether the lamb Abraham is referring to
is an actual lamb,
or if he's thinking about his son.
Abraham might not even know at this point.
But it is his confidence that is important.
It is firmly grounded in the faithful covenant-keeping God
that he serves.
Ask any author what the key to building a good story is.
And they will tell you
that you have to have a captivating plot.
You have to have a twist that nobody saw coming,
and a disaster which could eliminate
one of the main characters.
That is the plot line that runs through
roughly 90% of the action movies and series
that you see on TV today.
But this plot line did not originate
from Netflix or HBO or Amazon Prime,
but from the creator of this world.
As God is directing the writer of Genesis
to write down this story,
you can see the tension building, can't you?
With every little detail it builds.
This is the part of the movie
where the dramatic music kicks in.
You see Abraham building the altar.
The camera focuses in on Isaac,
and in the background you see Abraham
laying the wood on the altar.
Abraham lays down his son,
and he reaches for the knife.
And at this point the music is so loud,
and you're hiding behind your pillow.
But notice the details that the author doesn't say.
There is no mention of an objection from Isaac.
I mean, he has his own two feet.
He walked to the mountain.
Why hasn't he done a runner?
Because he is being obedient.
Isn't that amazing?
This obedience must have come from a trust in his father,
the one who he has seen live obediently before God.
His obedience must come from a confidence
that Isaac has in God.
Abraham probably told Isaac the promises
that God had given him as Isaac was growing up.
How Isaac would be the first fruit
of these covenant promises.
And Isaac obediently lies on the wood
awaiting his death.
And as the knife is raised in the air,
as this father full of confusion and pain
and confidence is just about to lower the knife
and take his son's life,
as you see this mountain range of tension
which has been building up,
you hear a voice of deliverance.
Abraham.
Here I am, he replied.
The same response of obedience
and willingness to act
according to the will of God.
Tell me what to do, Lord.
I am here waiting your command.
Do not harm the boy.
Now I know that you fear God
because you were willing to give him up.
Abraham's faith is not only being approved by God
in these verses,
but his actions are being applauded by God.
Now I know that you fear God.
This was the ultimate example of faith
and it was counted to him as righteousness.
His faith is backed up by his actions.
Do not harm the boy.
Imagine the relief,
both of Abraham and of Isaac.
We see a devout response of Abraham
and you see his obedience
obedience and confidence in God.
Do we live lives
which ooze
obedience to God
because we are confident
in who he is?
Here we see a man
who was willing to give up
everything that he holds dear,
everything that he loves
for his relationship with God.
Do I care that much
about my relationship with God?
Do we care that much
about our relationship with God?
Are we willing
to surrender all?
what good is it for a man
to gain the whole world
yet forfeit his soul?
Abraham is confident
that his soul is kept
in the hands of the living,
faithful,
covenant-keeping God
because he knows who he is
and he trusts him
and obeys.
What good is it
for a man
to gain the whole world
yet forfeit his soul?
Will you surrender
all to God?
Abraham's response
to God's command
is almost the pinnacle
of confidence in God
and obedience
to his will.
And the final thing
that we see in this passage
is how God responds.
A definitive reward
from God
verses 13 to 24.
A definitive reward
from God.
God sees Abraham's obedience
and he provides
a substitute.
A ram is caught
in a thicket
and Abraham takes it
and sacrifices it.
Notice those words.
Instead of his son.
A substitute is given.
And now both Abraham
and Isaac can worship
God together.
God saw Abraham's faith
and God provided.
In verses 15 to 18
we see a reiteration
of the promises
that God has given Abraham
that would be fulfilled
through his son Isaac.
And in verse 16
we see God swearing
by himself.
This is the only time
in the book of Genesis
that God does this.
Why?
Well, first of all
there is no one greater
than himself
by whom God could swear.
God is swearing
to bless and multiply
Abraham's offspring
Abraham's seed.
His descendants
will be as numerous
as the stars in heaven
and as the sand
on the seashore.
And by swearing
by himself
God is showing
the seriousness
and permanence
of his promise.
He's saying
I'm putting my name
on the line
to show you
how serious I am.
God is faithful
and he will not go back
on his promises.
He will provide
and he has provided.
But look at verse 17
with me.
It says
your descendants
will take possession
of the cities
of their enemies
and through your offspring
all nations on earth
will be blessed.
Or if you have an ESV
in front of you
it will say
and your offspring
shall possess
the gate of his enemies
and your offspring
shall all
and in your offspring
shall all the nations
of earth
be blessed.
Now why am I bringing
this verse
to your attention?
Well because the Hebrew
word that is used
there for their
or his
the highlighted red word
on the screen.
This word can be
both plural
and singular.
The writer of Genesis
wants us to see
that this verse
has a specific thing
to say about Isaac
but that this verse
also refers to
another seed
of Abraham.
In this whole narrative
of Genesis 22
Isaac is a foreshadow
of another seed
of Abraham.
And this is the amazing
thing about the Bible.
We're not just reading
about the life
of Abraham here
but this deals
this promise
deals
with stuff
that's already happened
and stuff that is
to come in the future.
In Genesis 3
verse 15
we see a promise
that Eve's seed
will come and defeat
Satan.
in Genesis 22
17
we see a promise
that Abraham's seed
will triumph
over his enemies.
And in Luke 23
we read
it was about noon
and darkness
came over the whole land
until three
in the afternoon
for the sun
stopped shining
and the curtain
of the temple
was torn in two.
Jesus called out
with a loud voice
Father into your hands
I commit my spirit.
and when he said this
he breathed his last.
There we see
the two seeds
of Abraham.
Now think of some
of the comparisons
between the two.
Isaac is obediently
following and trusting
his father.
Jesus
was sent into this world
by his father
and our God.
Isaac
carries the wood
which he will be laid on.
Jesus carried his cross
to death.
Isaac
obediently
awaits
his own death
so that he is
obedient to God's will.
Jesus went
to the cross
surrendering all
to make reconciliation
with God possible.
Isaac
is said
to rule over
his enemies
and at the cross
the son of God
Jesus Christ
defeated
humanity's
worst enemies
sin and death.
But also
notice the differences.
In Isaac's case
a ram
is offered
as a sacrifice
meaning that
he didn't die
but the ram
did
and they worshipped
God.
Well the difference
is that the son
of God
Jesus Christ
himself
was
the substitute.
How?
Well because
the punishment
that he bore
on the cross
was my punishment
to bear.
It was your
punishment
to bear.
As the song
puts it
behold
the man
upon the cross
my sin
upon his shoulders
ashamed
I hear my
mocking voice
call out
among the scoffers.
It was my sin
that held him
there until
it was
accomplished.
His dying
breath
has brought
me life.
I know
that it
is finished.
Jesus
was our
substitute
sent by
God
to take
the punishment
on the cross
to bear
the wrath
of God
to be the
sacrificial
lamb
that took
our place
and Jesus
death is
available for
all those
who would
have faith
in him.
Jesus
is the
perfect
sacrifice
who takes
away the
sins of
the world.
Jesus
is the
fulfillment
of these
covenant
promises.
He is
the one
who is
the blessing
to the
whole
world.
How?
Well because
his sacrifice
is available
to all
people
in all
the world
from every
tribe
every tongue
and every
nation
he calls
people to
repent
to believe
in him
and to
worship him
in perfect
relationship
with God
which is only
made possible
through Jesus
Christ the
lamb that
was slain.
So whether
you've been a
Christian for
years or
you've never
heard this
before I
want to ask
you the same
question as we
draw to a
close this
evening.
Will you
surrender
all?
You might be
asking the
question why
would I
surrender all
to a person
I can't
see?
Why would I
surrender all
to a person
who died
2000 years
ago on a
cross?
Well because
Jesus is now
in heaven.
He is our
strong and
perfect plea.
He is our
great high
priest whose
name is
love.
Whoever lives
and pleads
for us.
Why is
Jesus deserving
of our
worship?
Well because
Jesus is the
sinless
saviour and
he died so
that our
sinful soul
can be
counted free.
And God
looks on
Jesus'
sacrifice and
pardons us
of our
sins.
Why is
Jesus the
true hope
of our
lives?
Which should
give us more
than enough
reason to
surrender all
to him.
Because he
is the
risen lamb.
He is our
perfect spotless
righteousness.
The unchangeable
king of glory.
And as
Christians we
have a certain
hope.
we can
know for
sure that
our hearts
are hidden
with him
on high.
So is
Jesus worth
surrendering all
for?
Abraham cries
out yes.
The Bible
tells us yes.
Church history
is filled with
people who
with their
very last
breath on
earth said
yes.
hearts.
So the
question is
will we
surrender
all?
Let's pray
together.
Heavenly
Father we
come before
you this
evening and
we acknowledge
that the
only reason
we can stand
before you
is because of
your son
Jesus Christ.
who tore
the curtain
who made it
possible for
us to come
before you
and worship
you.
Father we
thank you that
he took
our pain
that he
bore
your wrath
for us.
And Lord in
light of that
we pray that
you would help
us live
obediently
that we
would act
obediently
because we
are confident
in who
you are.
And Lord that
we would
surrender all
to you.
We ask
this knowing
that you
help us
and in
the strong
precious name
of your
son Jesus
Christ.
Amen.
We
serve
our
helps
and
inspire
us
to
cheer
how
our