Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church.
And it's my joy to bring God's word to you today. A special welcome to those of you who are visiting.
We're glad that you're here, and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats,
but because we're following Jesus together as one community.
And as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good.
They don't need God's grace, and no one's so bad that they can't have it,
which is why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in his word.
We're continuing our series for Advent in the book of Genesis,
and you'll remember that Advent comes from a Latin word that means to come or to arrive.
And so during this season, we celebrate the fact that Jesus came.
He arrived here on this earth, and we do several things.
First, we celebrate that, what has happened in the past.
The fact that Jesus came, that he died, that he rose from the dead.
We also look forward with longing to what he's going to do in the future.
His first coming reminds us of his second coming.
And then third, we live faithfully now in the present.
We do what the entire Christian life is, not just in the month of December,
celebrating what God has done in the past,
looking forward to what he will do in the future
so that we can follow him and live faithfully now in the present.
We are moving on from Genesis chapters 11 and 12,
where we were last week, to Genesis chapter 22.
You'll remember our first week, we were in Genesis chapter 3,
and we talked about the fact that Jesus is the one who ends shame.
He destroys evil forever.
Our second week, in Genesis 12,
we looked at the fact that Jesus is the one who brings the ultimate blessing to the nations,
the blessing that God promised that Abraham would develop through his offspring.
And now, this week, we're looking at Jesus as the final sacrifice,
and God is the one who provides him for us.
If you're familiar with this passage of Scripture, Genesis 22,
you know it's actually one of the most controversial stories in the entire Bible.
And it's cited by those who have doubts or objections about Christianity
as one of the reasons that they're not Christians.
And so, instead of shying away from it,
we are going to go dive headlong into this
and see what it is that God has to teach us in his word.
We're going to see God's provision for us,
his provision for Abraham in providing a sacrifice,
his provision for us providing a sacrifice as well.
And so, I invite you to turn with me now to Genesis chapter 22.
You can turn there near the end of your worship guide.
You can turn in your Bible, or you can turn on your phone.
No matter where you turn, remember that this is God's word.
And God tells us that his word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path,
which means that God has not left us to stumble alone in the dark,
but instead, he's given us his word to show us the way to go.
And so, that's why we read now Genesis chapter 22, starting at verse 1.
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 the wood for the burnt offering and arose
and went to the place of which God had told him.
Verse 4.
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 a burnt offering?
Verse 8.
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.
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.
And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said,
By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord,
because you have done this and have not withheld your son,
your only son,
I will surely bless you.
And I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven
and as the sand that is on the seashore.
And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,
and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,
because you have obeyed my voice.
So Abraham returned to his young men,
and they arose and went together to Beersheba.
And Abraham lived at Beersheba.
I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.
Our Father in heaven,
we thank you again that you speak to us,
and you teach us by your word,
and we ask simply that you would do that this morning,
that you would show us our need for you and your grace,
and you would also show us that you come,
and you do more than we could ask or imagine,
that you meet us at that very same point of need,
that you came and died for us,
even when we were still sinners.
We ask that you would use your word this morning
to challenge us and also to encourage us.
Most of all, you would use it to transform us,
that we would be people who look more and more like your son.
We thank you that we don't have to worry this morning
about whether we've earned or deserved these things,
but instead, we simply ask them in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Okay, last week in Genesis chapter 12,
we saw this great promise that God gave to Abraham.
We might even think of it as a little bit over the top.
He tells him at the very beginning of chapter 12, verse 2,
I'm going to make of you a great nation.
And then in verse 3,
in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.
So he's going to have all these offspring,
except there's only one problem, right?
He's talking to a 75-year-old man
who happens to have an infertile wife
who's also his half-sister.
So we have this great promise on the one hand.
We have incredibly bleak odds on the other.
And so there's this huge gap
between the promise that God gives Abraham
and the reality that he's living in at the moment.
Now, we've skipped a bunch of chapters between 12 and 22.
A lot happens in those chapters,
but we're just going to focus on the parts
that relate to this promise that God's given.
In Genesis 15, he makes a covenant with Abraham.
He repeats this promise again.
In fact, he tells him,
not only is he going to have a son, verse 5,
he's also going to have offspring
that are as numerous as the stars.
So it's not just that Sarah's going to have a child,
but his offspring are going to be more
than he can possibly count.
Genesis 17, he repeats this promise again.
I'm going to give you a son.
We find out that time has passed.
Abraham is no longer 75.
He actually says,
how are you going to have a child
born to a man who's 100 years old?
Shall Sarah, who is 90 years old, bear a child?
We found out later in that chapter,
Abraham is rounding up.
He's actually 99 years old.
That doesn't necessarily change a lot.
It's getting harder and harder, right?
The odds are getting lower and lower.
Remember, Genesis 18, God shows up again and says,
this time next year, you will have a son.
Then the previous chapter before this one,
chapter 21, it finally happens.
After all these promises and all these repetition,
after 15 years have passed in Abraham's life,
finally God's promise comes to fruition.
And we've been on this story,
if you've read the book of Genesis,
with Abraham feeling this longing and this conflict,
wondering if what he wants is finally going to happen.
If you've ever known someone who has longed for a child
and not been able to have one,
you understand what this journey is like.
It's one of prayer and heartache.
It's one of hoping and longing, right?
You're joining with them in that.
We've done that together as a church in the past.
And so you know the joy,
you know that feeling of what happens
when it finally comes to pass,
when the child is finally born.
That's the joy that Abraham and Sarah are feeling.
That's what we're supposed to be thinking about
as we enter into this chapter
at the beginning of Genesis chapter 22.
And so that's why what comes next,
one and two, is so shocking.
I want you to look there with me first at verse two.
Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love,
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.
Can you imagine a greater reversal?
Can you imagine something more shocking than that?
I've been promising to you for 15 years
that I'm going to give you a son.
And not only that,
you are going to have offspring
that are more than the stars.
And now that this has all happened,
the son has been born,
it's time for you to go kill him.
If there's a shock to it,
it's because they're supposed to be.
There is a whiplash here for us
as we read this story.
We've been building for 10 chapters to this moment.
We should expect Abraham's line to continue,
but instead we see this threat
that it's going to end.
What in the world is going on?
We'll look first at verse one.
It tells us that God tested Abraham.
We have to understand that in the Bible,
this idea of testing
was where God would take someone
and he would present a choice.
God presents a choice
between obedience and disobedience.
And the point,
the goal of this test is twofold.
First, it's supposed to reveal
the character of the one tested.
It's their chance to demonstrate
the faith they have.
The other one is it's supposed
to result in blessing.
This obedience is a chance for them
to appropriate the blessings
that God offers.
And so that helps us maybe a tiny bit
to understand that this is a testing narrative.
By the way, we already saw one
in the Gospel of Mark
when Jesus is in the desert.
That's a testing narrative.
We're seeing if he's going to remain faithful
to God in the face of the temptations
of Satan.
It also clarifies for us
what God is asking here.
God is saying,
do you really love me
more than anything else?
I'm testing you.
I want to know
if you're going to remain faithful
in the face of an obstacle.
That solves part of the problem for us.
It doesn't solve the whole problem.
We still have this story
in which God has just asked a man
to sacrifice his son, right?
Which raises all kinds of questions
and objections in our mind.
This is something for those people
who have doubts or questions
or objections to Christianity
that rises to the top
of the list of reasons
they wouldn't believe or have faith.
How could we worship a God
who chooses to ask someone
to kill their own son?
What kind of crazy deity is this?
There's a scandal to it, right?
And so instead of shying away from it,
instead of ignoring the question,
this morning we're going to dive
head on into it.
And the reason we're going to do that
is because we have confidence
in God and his word.
We don't need to shy away
from the hard questions
that we encounter
as we study the Bible.
In fact, we can have faith
knowing that God
provides answers for us.
We can ask hard questions
and not be afraid of it.
We can bring our doubts
into the light
and not be afraid of them
because we believe
that God is big enough
and great enough
to handle them.
So you might be familiar
with an atheist
named Richard Dawkins
who wrote a book
called The God Delusion
and he points to this story
and says,
this disgraceful story
is an example
simultaneously of child abuse,
bullying in two
asymmetrical power relationships
and the first recorded use
of the Nuremberg defense.
This is a reason
not to believe in God.
What are we going to do?
How would we answer someone
whose objection
to the Bible is that?
Well, I want you to think
for a second
about eating food, okay?
There are different
cultural practices
around how you handle
your plate
when you're eating
with someone.
So if you are in India
or Japan,
you're expected
to clean your plate.
If you don't clean
your plate,
that's a sign
that you didn't enjoy
the food.
It wasn't very good.
And so it's an insult
to someone
to leave food
on your plate.
If you're in China,
you want to do
the exact opposite.
You want to leave
food on your plate
because you're saying
I've had enough to eat.
If you finish
all your food,
what you're telling
your host
is that they didn't
feed you well.
Okay?
Different cultures,
opposite messages.
In Egypt,
apparently,
it's rude
to ask for the salt.
And it's rude
to ask for the salt
because the person
who's prepared your meal
has decided
exactly how they want
it to taste
and they put
the perfect amount
of salt on it.
So if you ask
for salt,
you're telling them
you're not a good cook
and you don't know
what you're doing.
Now in America,
right,
if you ask for the salt,
someone just thinks,
well,
they need some salt.
Right?
No one thinks
anything of it.
The point I'm driving
at is this.
Different cultures
have these implicit messages
that are hidden
in different actions.
Now we're doing something,
we're talking about
something here
that's much more serious
than food,
but my point is this.
Often it's what you do,
not what you say.
Okay?
So track with me here.
When we're talking
about child sacrifice
in the ancient Near East,
this was a cultural form
that was well understood
in that time.
If you ask someone
to sacrifice their child,
what you were saying
implicitly was,
is your loyalty to me
above everything else?
Is your loyalty to me
above everything else?
Do you trust me
more than anything else?
Okay?
So track with me here.
Cultural form,
there's an explicit action
with an implicit question.
Is God being crazy
and deranged here
in this passage?
No, because he's using
a well-known cultural form
that Abraham would have understood.
And this is in fact
the way the entire Bible works.
God always comes to us,
he always comes
to the characters in the Bible
in ways that they can understand.
That's the reason
why the Bible is written
in different languages,
because different audiences
speak different languages.
Okay?
That's the reason
why Jesus came,
part of the reason
why Jesus came as a man.
He's translated
into our form.
God always meets people
where they're at.
In this story,
God is asking
for a sacrifice
because he is meeting
Abraham
as an ancient
Near Eastern man
where he's at.
He is speaking
in a way
that Abraham
can understand.
Okay,
I'm not sure
what this form
would be in America.
I'm not quite sure
how you ask
for someone's
total allegiance.
My guess would be
it would be this.
Are you willing
to go bankrupt?
Are you willing
to lose
all your money?
Right?
That's the American way
of asking
for total loyalty
and obedience.
If you're talking
to an entrepreneur
and they say,
I'm giving everything
that I have in on this,
then you know
they're committed
above everything else.
Right?
So this is the ancient
Near Eastern way
of saying,
I'm willing
to go bankrupt.
I'm willing
to sacrifice
my son.
Of course,
Jesus asks
a question
like this.
He makes a statement
like this in Luke 18.
Remember,
he talks to the rich
young ruler
and he tells him,
one thing you still lack,
sell all that you have
and distribute
to the poor
and you will have
treasure in heaven
and come follow me.
As you track Jesus
in the Gospels,
we know he doesn't
ask that of everyone,
but this is his way
in that instance
with that man
of asking him,
do you love me
more than anything else?
Is your loyalty
to me
greater than anything else?
And so as we wrestle
with this difficult passage,
I can tell you
with great certainty
this morning
that if you hear
a voice telling you
to sacrifice a child,
that is not from God.
Okay?
And I have great confidence
about that
for many reasons.
One of them is
that's not a cultural form
that we recognize.
Okay?
Another reason is
you're not Abraham,
you're not the founder
of God's people.
And a third reason
would be
Jesus is the final sacrifice,
right?
This points towards
something
that now has been fulfilled.
And so we don't need
to shy away
from these difficult questions
about Scripture
and so we can dive
into them and say,
yeah, we have an answer
for this.
We understand
that God speaks
in specific ways
to specific people
honoring their cultural context,
honoring the time
and place
in which they live.
Finally,
I would say
you can remember this.
Isaac isn't actually
sacrificed, right?
At the end
of this narrative,
Isaac is still alive.
If God
is not going
to ask you
to sacrifice
your son,
what does this passage
have to do with us?
And
how does it apply
to us
in any way?
If this is something,
a cultural form
that we don't recognize,
if Abraham
has a role
that we don't have,
does it have
any relevance
for us right now?
As we read
this passage
as people living
in Colorado Springs
in 2021,
near the end
of 2021,
the point for us
is this.
Sometimes
obedience
to God's
commands
doesn't make sense.
sometimes
obedience
to God's
commands
does not
make sense.
Sometimes
it looks like
God
is threatening
the blessing
and goodness
in our life,
not giving it.
Sometimes
it looks like
God is threatening
our blessing,
not giving it.
Sometimes
we're afraid
that God
wants to destroy
us
rather than
save us.
us.
Sometimes
we're afraid
God wants
to destroy
us
rather than
save us.
As Americans,
it might
look like
this.
God
tells us
to be
unified
and be
in community
with people
who are
radically
different
than us.
Our culture
tells us
that people
who disagree
with us
are evil
because they
disagree
with us.
We
actually
are called
by God
to associate
with people
who are
weird,
outcast,
marginalized,
socially
awkward,
people like
us.
Our culture
tells us
that's not
going to
save us,
that's going
to destroy
us,
that's social
suicide.
It looks
like God
wants to
destroy us,
not save
us.
God tells
us we
need to
trust him
for justice,
that vengeance
isn't ours.
And the
world tells
us that
we're alone
and we
have to
defend
ourselves.
we need
to vindicate
ourselves
and gossip
about others.
If someone
offends us,
we can
ruin them
on social
media.
And so
it feels
like God
wants to
destroy us,
not save
us.
God
still tells
us today
to trust
him more
than our
money.
And the
culture tells
us that we
will have
lost if
we miss
out on
certain
experiences
and
lifestyles.
God
wants to
destroy
us
rather
than
save
us.
God
calls
us to
be
faithful
to
him
in
the
midst
of
persecution
and we
know
that that
means
the
world
will
reject
us.
And so
it feels
like God
is
threatening
our
blessing,
not
giving
it
to
us.
God
still
tells
us
that
our
bodies
are
sacred
and we
need to
be stingy
with
them.
And the
world
tells us
there is
nothing
that's
more
important
than
sexual
freedom.
And so
it feels
like God
wants to
destroy
us
rather
than
save
us.
Of course
we have
the words
of our
Lord
Jesus
from
Mark
chapter
8.
If
anyone
would
come
after
me
let
him
deny
himself
and
take
up
his
cross
and
follow
me.
For
whoever
would
save
his
life
would
lose
it
but
whoever
loses
his
life
for my
sake
in the
gospels
will
save
it.
And so
the question
this passage
presents us
with is
this.
What do
we do
when we
hit up
against
these
places
where
God's
commands
in our
lives
feel
like
death
rather
than
life?
we
need
to
look
to
Abraham
and
his
example
to
see
how
he
responds.
Just
like
in
chapter
12
without
hesitation
Abraham
obeys
right away
we see
in verses
3
and 4
that he
prepares
and sets
out.
In
verses
5
through
10
Abraham
and
Isaac
go
by
themselves
they
leave
the
others
behind.
And so
Abraham
here
serves
for us
as an
example
of
faithful
obedience.
He
hears
God's
command
he
feels
the
threat
of
it
and
he
moves
forward
knowing
that
he
does
trust
God
more
than
anything
else.
The
answer
to
the
question
of
whether
Abraham
is
loyal
to
God
more
than
anyone
else
is
yes.
The
answer
to
whether
Abraham
trusts
God
and
his
promises
is
yes.
Abraham
is
able
to
obey
because
he
has
seen
God's
faithfulness
to
him
in
the
past
and
he
trusts
God's
promise.
On
the
one
hand
we've
just
come
off
of
chapter
21
it
seems
shocking
that
he
would
ask
this
child
to
be
sacrificed.
On
the
other
hand
we've
just
come
off
chapter
21
Abraham
has
seen
that
God
can
provide
a
child
to
a
99
year
old
man
and
a
90
year
old
woman.
He
knows
how
great
and
how
powerful
God
is.
He
knows
that
there
is
nothing
that
can
stop
God
or
thwart
his
plan.
He
knows
that
God
will
provide
for
him
no
matter
what.
And
so
he's
able
to
move
forward
in
obedience.
We
see
his
faith
here
in
verses
7
and
8.
His
son
Isaac
asks
him
where
is
the
lamb
for
a
burnt
offering?
Abraham
said
God
will
provide
for
himself
the
lamb
for
a
burnt
offering
my
son.
Abraham
knows
somehow
somewhere
God
is
going
to
do
what's
needed
to
protect
him
and
his
family
and
the
promise
that
God
has
made.
He
knows
that
God
will
never
leave
him
nor
forsake
him.
And
so
the
New
Testament
presents
Abraham
to us
as
this
great
model
of
faith.
Hebrews
11
mentions
something
that
we're
not
told
in
this
passage.
Hebrews
11
says
one
option
that
Abraham
was
considering
was
that
God
was
going
to
raise
Isaac
from
the
dead.
So
that's
one
way
that
maybe
he
thought
God
was
going
to
show
up.
It
says
by faith
Abraham
when he
was
tested
offered
up
Isaac
and
he
who
had
received
the
promises
was
in
the
act
of
offering
up
his
only
son
of
whom
it
was
said
through
Isaac
shall
your
offspring
be
named.
He
considered
that
God
was
able
even
to
raise
him
James
chapter
2
also
commends
Abraham
to
us.
It
tells
us
Abraham
believed
God
and it
was
counted
to
him
as
righteousness.
Was
not
Abraham
our
father
justified
by
works
when
he
offered
up
his
son
Isaac
on
the
altar?
In
other
words,
Abraham
is able
to
obey
God
no
matter
what
because
of
God's
promise
and
his
faithfulness.
Abraham
obeys
in
faith.
He
knows
that
he
can
trust
God
no
matter
what.
Brothers
and
sisters,
when
we
find
ourselves
cutting
up
against
the
sharp
edge
of
God's
commands
in
this
world,
we
know
because
of
God's
faithfulness
to
us
that
he
will
protect
us
and
he
will
care
for
us
no
matter
what.
Abraham
could
only
look
back
to
the
miraculous
birth
of a
child
to
a
90
year
old
woman.
Brothers
and
sisters,
we
can
look
back
to
something
much
greater
and
more
powerful.
We
look
back
not
to
Isaac
being
born,
we
look
back
to
a
different
son
who
was
born.
We
look
back
to
Jesus
Christ
who
came
into
this
world
as
God
and
as
a
man
was
born,
also
a
miraculous
birth,
but
even
greater
so
because
he
was
not
only
man
but
also
God.
He
came
not
through
natural
reproduction
through
Abraham
and Sarah
but
through
divine
reproduction
with
Mary.
We
know
more
than
Abraham
could
ever
dream
how
faithful
and
trustworthy
God
is.
And so
just like
Abraham
we can
follow
him
in
faith.
True
faith
leads
to
obedience.
And the
New Testament
presents
Abraham as a
model for
us of this
type of
faith.
And so
we see
in our
final scene
here
God's
faithfulness
to
Abraham.
Verses
10
through
13
this
angel
intervenes
and provides
another
sacrifice
for him
to use.
Verse
12
Abraham
hears
the words
of God's
approval.
Do not
lay your
hand on
the boy
or do
anything
to him
for now
I know
that you
fear
God
seeing
that you
have not
withheld
your son
your only
son
from me.
In other
words I
asked a
question
do you
love me
and trust
me more
than anything
else?
And you
by your
actions
gave the
right
answer
yes.
And so
we see
these promises
here at
the end.
Verse
16
because you
have done
this and
have not
withheld
your son
your only
son I
will surely
bless you
and I
will surely
multiply your
offspring
as the
stars of
the heaven
and as
the sand
that is
on the
seashore
and your
offspring
shall possess
the gates
of his
enemies.
God
requires an
offering from
Abraham.
God
provides the
offering
for Abraham.
All
Abraham
brings with
him
is his
faith.
All
Abraham
brings with
him is
his trust
and his
obedience
because God
gives him
everything
that he
needs.
God
provides for
us,
his people,
in miraculous
ways even
as he brings
us through
trials and
difficulties that
he's ordained
for us.
God
provides for
his people in
miraculous ways
as he brings
them through
trials that
he has ordained
for them.
Trials that he
brings to test
to reveal
our faith
like he
reveals the
faith of
Abraham,
to bring
us blessing
like he
brings blessing
to Abraham.
And so
the point
is this,
it may
not make
sense in
the moment
or right
away,
but eventually
obedience to
God's commands
will make
sense.
God will
vindicate us
and provide
for us.
We may
not see it
fully now
and we
know that
we will
one day.
And so
we obey
and trust
God no
matter what
because we
know that
he is
faithful to
his covenant.
And of
course we
know ultimately
his faithfulness
because of
his provision
of his son.
And so
that's part
of our
celebration
of Advent.
That's why
we look at
these passages
from Genesis
during this
month so
that we
can cast
a spotlight
on Jesus
and see
how great
and glorious
he is.
That we
can understand
how much
hope and
confidence and
peace that
we take
from the
fact that
he came
to this
earth as
a man.
We can
look and
see and
understand
more than
Abraham did
how much
God will
himself provide
the sacrifice.
And God
continues to
provide for
us even
now today.
He provides
for us in
the way that
he provided
for the
Israelites in
the wilderness
whose shoes
didn't wear
out.
He provides
for us by
the power of
his Holy
Spirit,
changing our
tastes and
our desires.
God provides
for us through
his word and
the wisdom and
counsel and
support of the
church and
Christians around
us.
It at times
feels like God
is asking the
impossible of
us and he
provides everything
we need to
obey him and
to follow him.
God provided
everything Abraham
needed to
obey.
He provides
everything that
we need to
obey as
well.
And of
course,
ultimately,
he provides
the greater
and greatest
sacrifice.
He provides
his own
son, Jesus
Christ, as
the ultimate
proof of his
faithfulness to
us.
That there is
nothing greater
or more powerful
that we can look
to to see
God's love
and his
authority in
this world.
It's like Paul
tells us in
Romans 8,
verses 31 and
32, if he
gave us his
son, how
will he not
also give us
everything else?
Why would he
not also give
us everything we
need to follow
him and love
him and obey
him?
And so even in
the most trying
situations, we
remain faithful
because we know
that God remains
faithful to his
covenant.
He will not
leave us and
he will not
forsake us.
And so we can
take the words
of verse 14 as
our own.
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.
Let's pray.
Our Father in
heaven, we thank
you for the hope
and the confidence
that we can take
in your love and
your provision for
us.
We thank you
that you never
ask us to do
something without
also providing the
resources and
power that we
need to do it.
And we thank you
that we see that
in this story of
Abraham and we see
it as you work in
our own lives.
We ask that you,
by your spirit,
would grow our
faith more and
more, that we
would trust you,
and we would love
you and believe you
no matter what.
We ask these
things in the
mighty name of
Jesus Christ.
Amen.