Friday, December 15, 2006
By Faith... Abraham - Part II, Part 74 of 79
TEXT: "[God] said, 'Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me'" (Genesis 22:12).
IDEA: Our greatest test of faith is whether or not we trust God's blessing or trust God Himself.
PURPOSE: To help listeners appreciate that God doesn't simply want us to trust Him for His blessings, but for Himself.
After we have studied a passage of the Bible, one basic question we ask is, "So what? What difference does it make?"
It is not enough to come away from Hebrews 11 with a genuine admiration for Abraham. We must also ask, what does this mean to me?
There are answers about how we should apply this episode in Abraham's life to us.
There are several different ways this passage has been applied in an attempt to make it relevant to our lives.
One preacher tried to apply this passage to her life by talking about a time when she had to move to a new city and found a nice apartment, but then discovered that she didn't have the money to pay the first month's rent.
We may be forced to give up a child to terminal illness just as Abraham was called to give up his son, Isaac.
God may ask you to give up a son or daughter to the mission field, and you won't see them for four or five years at a time.
Do you think these applications reflect what is going on in this passage?
Is the passage probing whether we love our children more than God?
It is not really pressing whether we trust God with our children.
II. The test seeks to discover something more basic about us.
John Walton hit the mark when he suggested that the test of Abraham centered on his motive for his relationship to God.
Is it God Himself or is it the benefits that He gives and the hope that He offers that drives us?
For Abraham his benefits and his hope were centered on Isaac.
The question for Abraham is, "Are you willing to trust and follow God when there is nothing in it for you?"
In Abraham's other tests God made promises to him about the benefits he would receive if he gave himself to God. This test promised no benefit. In fact, for all Abraham knew, God was going to take the benefits away in Isaac.
A similar test for us might be, "Would you give up heaven for God?" Is God enough for you?
Would God Himself be enough for you or do you really follow Him for His gifts?
III. Other people in the Bible have been put to this test.
Job was stripped of everything he had in order to see why he served God.
Jesus challenged the rich young ruler in the same way (Luke 18:18-23). This young man was asked to sell his lands and possessions. The land was a covenant benefit shared by all the people of Israel. Possessions were considered the reward of all those who earned God's favor. The young man was asked to turn in all the perks that he felt were the marks of God's favor.
Are you willing to follow God even if there is nothing else in it for you?
We often say that we want to hear God say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" This test asks, would you be willing to hear the commendation, "Now I know that you fear me."
