Fathers are Important (2)

Good morning, everyone! I am so happy to be here again. Can you believe Bro. Kelly let me preach on Father’s Day? I mean, I’m not even a dad!

Introduce yourself, name, position, and a witty story if you got one. Maybe mention going to Camp Siloam.

Preface

According to LifeWay Research, by 2030, nearly 70% of children will NOT identify as Christians. This is an extremely alarming statistic. These are children, NOT adults, who do not believe in Jesus and what He has done for them.

These children need someone to guide and lead them in the way that they should go. God’s Word says that this task is left up to the parents, and more specifically, the father.

There is an obvious correlation between a child having a father and the way that they grow up. There are many organizations that spend their time to study this issue. The National Fatherhood Initiative is one such organization.

A cording to the National Fatherhood Initiative, there are 17.8 million children without a biological, step, or adoptive father at home. That is nearly 1 in 4 children in America! Their research shows that children raised in a father-absent home are more likely to have behavioral problems, have a greater risk of poverty, more likely to drop out of school, more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol, and much more.

It’s obvious that every child needs a mother and a father... I don’t anyone can argue that… but not everyone has the blessing of being raised in a father-present home. But every child needs a father figure. That can be anyone: grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, godfather, minister, trusted adult friend, teacher, or anyone.

Father’s are important, but what kind of father should we strive to be? The Bible answers that question all-throughout, and we are going to look at one such passage about a father who did everything right for their son, even if we don’t understand it.

Intro

Turn in your Bibles to Genesis 22:1-18. This might be a familiar passage to you, but if not, get ready to strap in.

Before we get to reading, I need to give a little context. Abraham and Issac, the two main characters for today’s Bible passage, are father and son.

God promised Abraham’s descendants to be as numerous as the stars

Sarah, Abraham’s wife, struggled to have a child

Soon, Isaac was born. (NOT HIS ONLY SON!!!)

God said that through Isaac His promise of descendants would come true

As you can see, there is a lot weighing on Isaac. He’s important to Abraham because through Him, God’s promise of having a long lineage would come to pass. Now, let’s start reading the story.

Faithful Fathers (1-3)

Genesis 22:1–3 (ESV)

1 After these things God tested Abraham and 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 of which I shall tell 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. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

You might have noticed the wording used here, “God tested Abraham.”

Have you ever felt tested by God? Maybe circumstances in life have become challenging or, as you follow God’s call, you feel confused as to what He is planning.

God will test us in order to make us stronger in the end. We must always remember God will know the end result of our test, so He’s not testing us to figure something out. He’s testing us to make us aware of His presence, lean upon His direction, and prepare for something greater.

All throughout the test, although it seemed crazy, Abraham was faithful to God.

James 2:23 (ESV) - “and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.”

Trusting Fathers (4-10)

Genesis 22:4-10a (ESV)

4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.

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.” 6 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.

7 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?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

9 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. 10a Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

Remember, God was testing Abraham. Abraham wasn’t bluffing when we went up the mountain. He was fully prepared to do exactly what God instructed him to do.

Some read this passage and think of it as a cruel joke from God; bringing Abraham up the mountain to slaughter his son. Is God toying with his mind? Well, you have to remember what’s at stake here:

God made a promise to Abraham

God gave Abraham a son after much difficulty

God promised big things for Isaac

If God made these promises, then why is He telling Abraham to sacrifice his son?

Abraham knew that God had a plan. He trusted Him, even with the life of his own son. Abraham knew that God would make a way, even if he didn’t fully understand God’s command.

See what the writer of Hebrews says:

Hebrews 11:17–19 (ESV)

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 from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

Fathers, God wants you to fully trust Him with the lives of your children and wives. He has big plans for them, and He wants them to be raised to obey and honor the Lord with all their heart.

Serving Fathers (11-18)

Genesis 22:10b-18(ESV)

10b 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, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 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.

14 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.”

15 And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,

17 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, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

Imagine Isaac’s perspective in this story. What was he thinking? I’m sure, like every child who’s father held a knife to them on an altar was scared out of his mind. But afterwards, when he saw the angel of the LORD, heard the voice of God, and witnessed God providing the lamb, what was he thinking?

I believe that Isaac saw the trust that Abraham had in God. He saw Abraham serving God to the fullest.

Fathers, your children are watching you. They see and interpret everything you do in your life; the way you talk, act, behave, react, love, get angry, everything you do.

Do your children see you serving the Lord? Do they see a humble man before God trying his best to serve and honor God with everything they have?

What does the Bible say about Isaac’s life? He was a faithful servant of the Lord.

Response

I love this story, because it reminds us that God would never make us do something that He wasn’t willing to endure or go through Himself. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son to God, but God stopped him. God sent His one and only Son for the sole purpose of sacrificing Himself.

God allowed His Son Jesus to do exactly what Abraham did not do. But God, just like He had promised Abraham much from Isaac, had promised to send a Savior to take the punishment of sin for us.

Give a brief outline of the gospel