Good day dear friends. Yesterday we heard sermon two of a small series on Encounters with Jesus in the Gospel of John. We spoke of Jesus being the "Lamb of God," as identified with John the Baptist. We heard that this language was three things: reassuring, prophetic, and brutal. Reassuring because God always provides, and we'll read the classic story mentioned in the sermon this morning from Genesis; prophetic because John the Baptist knew that God had a purpose for Jesus; and brutal because something or someone had to die for our sin, and that would be Jesus.
Here is our study guide for today:
Monday: Read Genesis 22:1-19. This is a very troubling story for fathers and mothers. Abraham was indeed tested. Read it knowing that he was surrounded by cults that routinely sacrificed children as payment to gods to take away their sin. God “tests” Abraham by bringing him right into that mindset of the false religions all around him. What would you have done? Would you have gone on that fateful journey with your child knowing you might have to sacrifice your only child?
22:1 After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 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 that I shall show you." 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you." 6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, "Father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." He said, "The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 8 Abraham said, "God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together. 9 When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 12 He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy 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." 13 And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place "The Lord will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided." 15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, "By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18 and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice." 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham lived at Beer-sheba.
Most men have their favorite father-son story. I have several, but my most memorable was when my dad flew down to Mission to surprise me for my twenty-fifth birthday. I was serving as intern at a church, trying to date the woman who would later be my wife, but not even the thought of my being alone for my birthday motivated her to sympathy. Instead I got invited by the United Methodist Men to a meeting. Woah, that's a super birthday gift! When I walked in, I was grabbed by my dad and realized it was a surprise party given by UMM for me. My dad spent a day with me and then he flew back. This story is memorable because I never knew Dad had the money to fly or that he would fly down to do something as special as this for me. Do you think Isaac ever forgot this father-son story?
Isaac's father was also the father of the faith. Abraham had been the first to say yes to God in an undertaking of great faith, according to our Jewish brothers and sisters. Abraham had been promised a great lineage of children and when we meet up with him in Genesis 19 he had Isaac as his "true" son from Sarah, and life gets interesting when God visits him again. The ultimate test is required of him. God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son. Remember we mentioned that sacrifice was an atonement for sin. Something or someone had to die for your sins. The people around Abraham had child sacrifices and so this idea while brutal was not necessarily unknown. Yet, it must have been the most difficult three days in Abraham's life. When he reached the place selected for worship, he leaves his servants behind and he and his son climb to the spot where Abraham believes he has to kill his son in order to appease God and pay for the sins of the family. The boy had been to worship before. He knew the purpose of the wood and flame traveling with them, but he noticed there was no lamb and asks his dad. His dad replies, "God will provide." Yet when the reach the place, the altar is set up, and Abraham binds his son as the sacrifice and is prepared to kill him as God ordered, but just in the nick of time, God provides. A ram stuck in the thicket is used instead. Wow.
Above I asked, "What would you have done?" I can think of no one that would actually do this. We thank God we live in the era blessed by the sacrifice of God's own son, but just to think that we would have to offer our own children as sacrifices brings us sadness and pain. And yet, God did not withhold his own begotten son from us. God was willing to pay the price of our sins by sending His only Son, Jesus our Lord.
PRAYER: Father, forgive our selfcenteredness in all things. You loved us so much that you gave your only son to die in our place. Many are the times we should be placed on an altar or cross and sacrifices for our sinfulness, but You acted on our behalf by sending Jesus. Thank you. Forgive us our sins. Allow Jesus to be Lord of our lives. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a blessed day!
e.v.th
