Unveiled: Calls and Covenants - Week Two

Notes
Transcript

INTRO

Good morning Church who is excited to be in the house of the lord this morning?! AMEN AMEN AMEN
Im Jed Church
And I am not only excited to be in the house of the lord but I am also excited to b bringing the word this morning
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PREFACE

Today we are continuing the second part of Calls and Covenants
Last week we looked at Gods Covenant with Abraham
And after years of waiting, God fulfills His promise to Abraham and Sarah by granting them a son, Isaac.
Today we will be looking at how God tested Abrahams faith after the birth of his son.

READ SCRIPTURE

Genesis 21:2–4
And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
(pronounced - more-eye-ahhh)
Genesis 22:1–2
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.”
Genesis 22:6–18
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?” 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.” 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.”

PRAY

Over the service
Application of sermon to our lives this week
Bless the reading of the word.
Genesis 22:1–4
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. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.

POINT ONE — We need to have True Obedience.

Abraham's obedience was not passive
It was active and lead him in his decisions.
True obedience in requires action, and a complete commitment to God's will.
Genesis 22:5
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.”
Genesis 22:8–11
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.”
We can know for a fact that we will be tested
I know for a fact that there isn’t anyone here who has lived their who life without facing one trial, one test, one hardship.
But who here can testify that every test, every trial, every hardship is made easier when we are not alone
When we are in fellowship with Jesus it all becomes easier amen?!
Do we want fellowship with God?
most of us do right?
Ok wow I guess not One more time, is there anyone else that wants fellowship with God?
Oh that more like it.
To have fellowship with someone is to share in like experiences with them.
In this passage Abraham enters into some of the deepest fellowship with God imaginable.
In that moment both Abraham and God know what it feels like to have to sacrifice their own son.
They share this deep sorrowful fellowship with one another.
In Philippians 3:10 Paul says:
“that I may know him and the power of his resurrection,”
That sounds great! I love it me too Paul
But then in the same sentence he says:
“and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death”
For some of us that last part might have seemed like a bit much, like “I don’t know about that”
But what if we too all of our times of suffering, trial, testing, heartaches and saw them as an opportunity to meet with God in a way that we never have any other way.
To say: “I am going to fellowship with God in this horrible place, this awful moment, this scary situation.
That I am know HIM and share in his sufferings.
And come out of AALLLLLL of it closer to God.

POINT TWO — We need to Trust God in the Unknown.

Abraham trusted God even when he couldn't see the outcome.
He couldn't see how God would provide but he trusted that he would
We are also called to trust God in the midst of our life's uncertainties.
Paul also teaches that those who follow Christ must “walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham” (Rom 4:11-16)
Genesis 22:13–14
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.”
God provides a substitute sacrifice.
Showcasing His mercy and faithfulness.

POINT THREE — God Provides to those who trust and obey.

Sometimes, God calls us to surrender things that are super important to us.
Yet, just as He provided a ram for Abraham, God's provision is abundant and timely for us.

Isaac. He was in this a type of Christ, that Seed which the holy God so long promised, and holy men so long expected.

Let’s observe some of the details in this story which should cause us to think about Christ:
Isaac was Abraham’s only beloved son. Christ is the Father’s only beloved Son.
Isaac would be offered on a mountain in Moriah. Christ would be offered on a mountain in Moriah.
A donkey accompanied Christ on his journey to Jerusalem. A donkey accompanied Isaac on his journey to the mountain.
Three days are mentioned as the length of the trip to the mountain. Christ spent three days in the grave. This whole time Issac was dead to Abraham and Jesus was dead to God.
Abraham assured his servants that Isaac would come back to them. Christ assured his servants that he would come back to them.
Isaac carried the wood upon which he would be bound. Christ carried the wooden cross upon which he would be crucified.
Isaac willingly accepted being bound and did not resist. Christ willingly accepted his suffering and did not resist.
Both were not being sacrificed not for their own sins or faults.
Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son. God the Father turned his back on his Son.
This is where the analogy breaks down because though God rescued Abraham from actually sacrificing his son (he made no sacrifice), no one rescued the Father from sacrificing his Son on the cross for our sins.
We should feel the difficult and pain of God as he himself would give his own son to die for us. In fact, it seems that Christ himself – the angel of the Lord – spoke to Abraham on the mountain, he himself who would die for our sins for real.

CLOSING

Landing the plane and wrap up
May the story of Abraham inspire us to live lives of radical faith, unwavering obedience, and complete trust in the One who guides our every step.
Amen?
Pray
Command and own the prayer at end
Benediction closing  

NOTES

Chapters 21-22 outline

12. The birth of Isaac (21:1–21)

13. Abimelech makes a treaty with Abraham (21:22–34)

14. The testing of Abraham (22:1–19)

15. Nahor’s children (22:20–24)

A key theme is substitution
Evidence for mount Moriah
Solomon built the temple at the base of the mountain of Moriah.
Then the Babylonians destroyed the temple.
Ezra and Neamiah rebuilt the temple.
Herod the great arrived and built up a massive retaining wall and filled in dirt to make a 35acre flat area. The temple is now known as the Temple Mount.
All of this has happened in the same spot near the base of the mountain
Jesus is then crucified at Golgotha which is the top of mount Moriah above the Temple Mount.
And Abraham would have came to the mountain before any of this happened. The logical place he would have gone to when God said go on the mountain would have been the top.
Therefore both Isaac and Jesus would have been sacrificed somewhere on the same mountain top
We can know for a fact that we will be tested
I know for a fact that there isn’t anyone here who has lived their who life without facing one trial, one test, one hardship.
But who here can testify that every test, every trial, every hardship is made easier when we are not alone
When we are in fellowship with Jesus it all becomes easier amen?!
Do we want fellowship with God?
most of us do right?
Ok wow I guess not One more time, is there anyone else that wants fellowship with God?
Oh that more like it.
To have fellowship with someone is to share in like experiences with them.
In this passage Abraham enters into some of the deepest fellowship with God imaginable.
In that moment both Abraham and God know what it feels like to have to sacrifice their own son.
They share this deep sorrowful fellowship with one another.
In Philippians 3:10 Paul says:
“that I may know him and the power of his resurrection,”
That sounds great! I love it me too Paul
But then in the same sentence he says:
“and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death”
For some of us that last part might have seemed like a bit much, like “I don’t know about that”
But what if we too all of our times of suffering, trial, testing, heartaches and saw them as an opportunity to meet with God in a way that we never have any other way.
To say: “I am going to fellowship with God in this horrible place, this awful moment, this scary situation.
That I am know HIM and share in his sufferings.
And come out of AALLLLLL of it closer to God.
Is God evil in this situation (MAY NOT USE THIS)
You might say, how could a good God ask a father to kill his own son.
Surely only an evil god would do that.
God DIDN’T kill Issac, He spared Issac
But God didn’t spare his own Son
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