When Praise Demands a Sacrifice

Genesis 22:5: “And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.”

What does it mean to worship?

worth-ship- to evaluate; to extend in kind

Human sacrifice- a mother went down to the river with a handicapped son and a well-favored son; when she returned, she was asked why she gave the better son, to which she replied, “My God deserves the very best!”

Queen- the borrowing of an umbrella— The Queen! If I had known it was for the Queen, I would have given her my very best!

Continual Obedience

GET UP AND GO!

In this moment of time, Abraham is asked to do the unthinkable— the impossible. However, it was not the first time the Lord had called Him to step out by faith.

Genesis 12:4: “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.”

Genesis 22:3: “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.”

THREE QUALITIES TRUE OF BOTH TESTS:

separate from people you love

his father

his son

Mark 10:29–30 “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” :

if you obey, I will honor you with blessings

Genesis 12:2–3 “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” :

Genesis 22:17–19 “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.” :

build an altar

Genesis 12:7: “And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.”

Genesis 22:9: “And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.”

HERE I AM!

Genesis 22:1: “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.”

Genesis 22:7: “And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

Genesis 22:11: “And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.”

Courageous Offering

your son

your only son

the one you love—

The one thing God wanted the world to know about His Son— Matthew 3— “HE’S MY SON AND I LOVE HIM!”

Confident Outlook

Hebrews 11:17–19“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” :

Pictures of Christ in this story:

miraculous births

they were their Father’s only Son

they were offered as a sacrifice

they were loved of their Fathers

they were offered in the same place

they carried wood to the place of sacrifice

they were speechless and did not contest their deaths

it was a 3-day experience of agony

their resurrections were expected

Galatians 3:8: “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”