Back to the Beginning Week 5

Genesis 22:1–14 NRSV

After these things God tested Abraham. He 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 that I shall show you.” 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. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 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.” 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. 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?” Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. 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. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill 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, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 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. 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.”

Genesis 22:5–8 NRSV

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.” 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. 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?” Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

Genesis & Exodus Commentary

It is one thing to claim to trust God’s word when waiting for something; it is quite another thing to trust with the same intensity after receiving the promise. This was a test to see how much Abraham would obey God’s word.

Genesis & Exodus Commentary

When Abraham saw the place in the region of Moriah, he took only Isaac with him and left the two servants and the donkey behind. He said, “We will worship there, and then we will come right back” (22:5). This could also be translated, “We will worship there in order that we may return.” His statement is amazing, and raises all kinds of questions regarding what was going through his mind at this moment. All that Abraham knew was that God had planned the future of the covenant around Isaac and that God wanted him to sacrifice Isaac. He could not reconcile these two things in his own mind, but could only do what God commanded him to do, leaving the future to God. That is faith. In response to Isaac’s question, “Where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” (22:7), Abraham again revealed his faith in the Lord, “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son” (22:8). This statement of Abraham’s would become the motive for the naming to follow (see 22:14 and note) and the theme of the entire narrative for the household of faith.

God’s intervention was dramatic

“One of the most helpful tools I’ve ever used for ministry is a little philosophy that Methodist movement founder John Wesley picked up from a Moravian friend, missionary Peter Böhler. The year was 1738, and Wesley had not yet experienced his famous Aldersgate conversion. He was burned out and somehow couldn’t grasp the concept of justification by faith alone. He told himself, “How can you preach to others if you don’t have faith yourself?” John asked Peter if he should stop preaching. Böhler replied, “By no mean.” Then Wesley asked, “But what can I preach?” Böhler answered, “Preach faith till you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith.” John took Peter’s advice, and although Wesley wasn’t even sure of his own salvation, he shared the Gospel with a guy on death row named Clifford. Thus began a long ministry of stepping beyond the bounds of his perceived faith to do extraordinary works for God. I believe this idea of “preaching faith till we have it” is one of the major keys to experiencing power in our ministries even today. The author of Hebrews writes that “faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see.” (Hebrews 11:1 CEB),” - Shane Raynor, Ministry Matters

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Who has ever heard the phrase “Fake it ‘til you make it”?

Who knows where it originated from?

The actual origin of the quote is something of question but I know one instance of its use for certain.

The year is 1738

“One of the most helpful tools I’ve ever used for ministry is a little philosophy that Methodist movement founder John Wesley picked up from a Moravian friend, missionary Peter Böhler. The year was 1738, and Wesley had not yet experienced his famous Aldersgate conversion. He was burned out and somehow couldn’t grasp the concept of justification by faith alone. He told himself, “How can you preach to others if you don’t have faith yourself?” John asked Peter if he should stop preaching. Böhler replied, “By no mean.” Then Wesley asked, “But what can I preach?” Böhler answered, “Preach faith till you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith.” John took Peter’s advice, and although Wesley wasn’t even sure of his own salvation, he shared the Gospel with a guy on death row named Clifford. Thus began a long ministry of stepping beyond the bounds of his perceived faith to do extraordinary works for God. I believe this idea of “preaching faith till we have it” is one of the major keys to experiencing power in our ministries even today. The author of Hebrews writes that “faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see.” (Hebrews 11:1 CEB),” - Shane Raynor, Ministry Matters

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—> The truth is I’m not sure how sold out Abraham really was.

—> When we look at verses 5-8 we see someone who on the surface appears to be full of faith, not waivering, but if we are honest what in Abraham’s story gives us this notion.

Yes, he goes when told. A very strong start but then he kind of loses it in the Faith category for a while.

He passes his wife off as his sister not once but twice because he is scared.

He allows Sarah to convince him that she is not the mother of the promised son, and so he has a child by the servant Hagar instead.

So what we are to look past all of that and assume that Abraham is the pillar of faithfulness?

—> unlike Wesley who journaled almost everyday and wrote hundreds of letters we don’t know what Abraham was really thinking, we just know what he did.

—> And maybe that is the most faithful think we can do. Keep moving forward even when we may not have the faith to do so.

—> Was this great faith in Abraham when we told the servants him and the boy would be back? I don’t know

—> Was he being honest with Issac and did he believe God would provide a “different” sacrifice? I don’t know.

—> Did Abraham leave the mountain changed? I 100% believe he did.

—> Preach faith, live faith, until it is real to you. You don’t need all the answers or all the certainty right now. Just give God a chance to do something amazing in and through your life.

—> This story from Wesley’s life is one of the many reasons I believe in an Open Table.

—> As Methodist’s we believe that Holy Communion is an act of grace, where God is making himself known in a real way in our lives. You don’t have to be perfect to come to this table. You don’t have to have all the right answer. You don’t have to be a member of this church or any other church. You just have to be willing to try.

—> But maybe, just maybe you are tired of faking it this morning. Maybe you have felt your heart strangely warmed and you are ready to live fully in faith and trust in God. You accept what Jesus did for you on the Cross and you want to walk with him in the strength of the Holy Spirit in boldness and in complete faithfulness.

—> As we say our Communion Liturgy together this morning I pray that you hear the call to repentance, to discipleship, and to eternal life with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN