Abraham’s Test

Welcome

Growth Focus: Gentleness

2 Samuel 22:32–37 “32 “For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? 33 This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless. 34 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. 35 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great. 37 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip;”

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Grateful for two years as your pastor

Hymn of preparation #

†CALL TO WORSHIP Based on Psalm 32

Pastor Austin Prince

Minister: Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

Congregation: Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

Minister: Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;

Congregation: You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

Minister: Let us worship God!

†PRAYER OF ADORATION AND INVOCATION

O Lord our God, Creator of all that is visible and invisible–the earth and all that dwells in it is for your honor. The earth declares it and we your people declare that you are the Lord. Receive our worship this morning as a testament to your glory. Perfect our worship by the blood and intercession of Christ, and send us the Helper, the divine Spirit that our words and actions could be pleasing to you. Receive our prayer offered in the name of Jesus.

†OPENING HYMN OF PRAISE #238

“Lord, with Glowing Heart I’d Praise Thee”

†CONFESSION OF SIN & ASSURANCE OF PARDON

“Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.” (Psalm 19:12–13, ESV)

Let us acknowledge our sins together --

Congregation: Father in heaven, we thank you for the freedom you have given us through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son. But we confess today that we often live like slaves.

Instead of living like you delight in us, we avoid you in shame and guilt.

Instead of receiving your favor as a gift, we try to earn it with our efforts.

Instead of pursuing your purposes, we cling to our own agendas.

Forgive us. Embrace us. Cleanse us. Heal us.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1–2, ESV)

CONTINUAL READING OF SCRIPTURE Numbers 32:20-42

Elder Steven Hoffer

THE OFFERING OF TITHES AND OUR GIFTS

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

†PSALM OF PREPARATION #54

“By Your Name, O God, Now Save Me”

SERMON Hebrews 11:17-19 // Abraham’s Test — Faith Beyond The Knife

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION

Blessed you are, Lord, Great God! Blessed you are, eternal God in times past and yet today! You have spoken in the past and your people have been guided through all kinds of wildernesses and supported in all kinds of exiles and tribulations. Speak to us today in the midst of our own peculiar confusions. Speak to us through your Law and give us a sense of order and direction. Speak to us through your gospel. Transform us by your grace. Renew us in hope. For yours is the future, even more than the past. Amen and Amen.

TEXT Hebrews 11:17-19

Hebrews 11:17–19 ESV

17 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, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

AFTER SCRIPTURE

Turn my heart toward your statures and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; renew my life according to your word.

Intro

Why does God test us?

Is it because He doesn’t know the state of our hearts and wants to find out whether we will be faithful? No. The state of our hearts is no mystery to Him.

Does He test us to prove our devotion—as though He takes pleasure in being loved under pressure? No. God is not needy. He is not desperate. He isn’t a despot, and He is not ignorant.

Our faith through trials and testing doesn’t supply for any lack or insecurity that He may have.

So why does God test us?

He does not test us to reveal anything to Himself but to reveal something to us. His testing exposes what we cannot yet see—where our faith is thin, where our hope is misplaced, where our love is divided. It puts us into the smith’s fire so that impurities rise and are burned away. The testing of faith is the refining of faith. It pushes us deeper into hope, deeper into rest, deeper into the security of God rather than the fragility of our own strength.

As Paul preached last week, God moves us from one degree of glory to the next. That transformation happens through faith—through God proving again and again the certainty of His promises. His tests are not meant to strip or humiliate us. They are meant to steady us—to give us surer footing, to pry the scales off of our eyes, and to give a purer joy.

When He tests His children, He disciplines us as a Father. Any good father tests and trains his children for growth, not for pain. God’s mercy in testing is a tough mercy—but it is mercy still.

Today, we look again at the faith of Abraham—specifically, his great test: the command to sacrifice his son Isaac. And though none of us will face this same command, all of us face the same kind of test.

We’ll look at three truths:

1. The Promise of faith.

2. The Motive of faith.

3. The Fruit of faith.

1. The Promise of Faith

(Hebrews 11:17–18)“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.’”

Abraham had received a promise—a son in his old age. That promise was fulfilled, as God always fulfills His word. But then came a new command that seemed to destroy the promise itself: “Offer up your son.”

Faith often faces this same dilemma—It looks impossible. It looks irrational.

If there is no Isaac, then there is no nation. If there is no nation, then there is no blessing. If there is no son, then there is no promise. Yet Abraham obeyed.

Faith lives by a different logic—the logic of God’s Word. It defies human wisdom, which leans on understanding. But what seems like madness to the world becomes life to those who trust God. The logic of faith taunts human logic. Those who trust themselves may see clearly for a while—but end in fear, disappointment, and despair. Those who trust the Lord find joy, life, and rest, and they see His faithfulness proven again and again.

Let’s listen to the story itself from Genesis 22:1-14

“After these things God tested Abraham and 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…’”

Abraham rose early in the morning. He cut the wood. He took his son and went. On the third day, he saw the mountain. He told his servants, *‘Stay here; the boy and I will go to worship, and we will come again to you.’*

That’s faith. “We will come again.”

He laid the wood on Isaac’s back. Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb.”

And God did.

Faith knows that God is faithful to His promises.

Abraham rose early. He worshiped. He obeyed. His impulse was trust. He didn’t believe God was a liar or cruel or double-minded. He believed God would keep His word, even if it meant raising the dead.

Isaac watched his father obey quickly. Many of us have seen this dynamic of faith across generations—faith that endures and faith that fails. The quiet choices of faith in one generation shape the next, just as the small acts of unbelief echo through time.

How many of us maybe have seen the dynamic of faith play out over time with our parents or grandparents. You only recognize in adulthood what you couldn’t see as a child. That maybe some of the small acts of unbelief have come to dominate life after decades. They result in fear and faithlessness. Isaac watched His father obey, and fast.

Faith took Abraham to the place where he could say, “I don’t know how God will bring good out of this, but I know He will.”

That is the battle of faith: to believe when obedience seems impossible.

Maybe God is asking you to give up something that is precious to you—a child, a dream, a relationship, a comfort, a sin.

Maybe He is asking you to do what seems illogical, to stay in a hard marriage, to forgive a deep wound, to repent of a pleasure that feels too sweet to surrender.

And sometimes we argue:

“God, You gave me this; surely You don’t expect me to give it back.”

“You led me here—why would You ask me to burn my only map?”

Faith faces the impossible. But in the calculus of faith, obedience never ends in loss.

Yet this is often where our obedience stops. The encounter with impossibility becomes the excuse: the marriage ends, the forgiveness goes unspoken, the generosity withheld, the prayer never offered.

Where are the places you cannot raise the knife?

What possession or comfort have you claimed as untouchable?

Where have you said, “Anything but this, Lord”?

Name it. Is it a relationship you are clinging to though it corrodes your soul? Is it an ambition you have built your identity upon? Is it a comfort, a habit, a secret, or a pleasure that you keep because admitting it would cost you reputation or peace? Be concrete. Faith does not thrive on abstractions; it grows in named obediences.

Practically, when the test comes, remember the promises God has spoken to you—write them down, say them aloud. Act—do the thing God is asking; the first step of obedience is often the hinge on which everything else turns. These are small disciplines, but they train the muscles of hope.

Abraham teaches us that faith does not flinch at the impossible—it believes the promises.

All of God’s promises are yes and amen in Christ. That does not mean there is no suffering, no groaning. But it does mean that every promise stands firm.

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?” (Romans 8:22–24, ESV)

Faith believes that God’s Word is true, even when sight screams otherwise.

How quickly do we rise in obedience?

Has God made promises about your forgiveness, your future, your provision? Then know with certainty—they will never fail.

2. The Motive of Faith

(Hebrews 11:19a) “He considered God able even to raise the dead.”

Why did Abraham trust God? Because he *considered God*.

Faith doesn’t close its eyes and jump. It opens its eyes to who God is. Abraham reasoned: “If God gave me Isaac by miracle once, He can give him again by resurrection.”

He believed in the power of God—God could raise the dead.

He believed in the character of God—God would do what is right.

Abraham knew God was not like Pharaoh or Molech or Herod—tyrants who demand sacrifice to be appeased. He knew God was holy and good. God’s command was not a request for cruelty but a revelation of grace.

That distinction is vital. To read Genesis 22 as divine cruelty is to miss the point. Abraham’s faith is defiant. He could raise the knife not because he believed God loved death but because he believed God loved righteousness. He trusted God’s character.

So must we.

Do you know that God will do right—when you sit by a hospital bed, when you stand at a graveside, when the job falls through, when the child walks away?

Do you believe He is holy, not harsh; good, not grasping; steadfast, not moody?

Faith doesn’t bargain with God. It doesn’t say, “If I obey, You’ll bless me.” That’s a transaction. Faith says, “You are good, and therefore I obey.”

Every test of faith draws you into God’s holiness. It is never to appease Him; it is always to shape you.

Faith considers God:

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly… God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6–8)

If this is who God is—the One who gave His Son while we were sinners—then every call of faith is for our good. Every call is an invitation into His holiness.

Do you know that God will do right? Does your faith consider God’s character? Do you face the impossible because you believe God cruel and exacting and religion is merely a bargaining and haggling with a fickle and temperamental God so that you get what you want and need as long as you appease his sometimes sour hand and pass his test? Don’t live there. That is not faith, that is an arrangement, a haggling with God.

So when you are tested, *consider God.* Don’t begin with what you might lose; begin with who He is. Let His character anchor your obedience.

3. The Fruit of Faith

(Hebrews 11:19b) “He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”

Abraham gave up his son—and received him back.

In God’s economy, what is surrendered in faith is never lost. It is raised, renewed, multiplied.

God raises the dead.

That is the fruit of faith.

Whatever we place on the altar, He resurrects and transforms.

But beware: faith is not a clever transaction. We don’t give to get. God cannot be manipulated. The heart that tries to bargain with Him will always come away empty.

Yet the heart that trusts Him—freely, wholly, without reserve—will always find Him generous.

The calculated heart might think that it can give and then get it right back.

But the heart of faith gives with abandon and receives back more than it can imagine.

In God’s world, the acorn becomes the oak.

The seed that dies bears a tree full of fruit.

The cross becomes resurrection.

By our small faith, God gives eternal life. That is not an equal exchange—it is grace.

Even tiny moments of faith bear immense fruit:

A small word of encouragement to a spouse.

A patient act of discipline with a child.

A quiet prayer whispered in weariness.

A moment of generosity when no one sees.

Faith sees beyond the sacrifice. Faith sees beyond the knife. Faith sees beyond the grave to the glory of God.

You cannot out-give Him. Whatever you surrender to God in faith will one day rise in greater glory.

Gospel Picture and Conclusion

This story of Abraham and Isaac points forward—to the greater story, the gospel story.

Three days’ journey.

The wood laid on the son’s back.

The son climbing the mountain of sacrifice.

The substitute provided by God Himself.

The very mountain, Moriah, would one day be called Jerusalem. And there, God the Father would not stay His hand. He would give His only Son, the true Lamb, for the sins of the world.

“He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)

All things. All things in your life can be entrusted to God. In every area He is sanctifying and making holy. All things he will resurrect and put them in their proper place, bearing the right fruit and much of it. What has God given us in the Son? If God has so loved us in this way, can’t we trust Him with the small details, too? He held nothing back, do you think that He will cheat you in any other area.

If He gave you His Son, what won’t He give you? So raise the knife. Trust His promises. Consider His character. He’s the One who raises the dead, the Lord of the harvest, the good steward of all things.

†HYMN OF RESPONSE

“With Simple Faith”

THE MINISTRY OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

Minister: Lift up your hearts!

Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord.

Minister: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

Congregation: It is right for us to give thanks and praise!

THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION Mark 14:22-25

And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

CONFESSION OF FAITH Belgic Confession, Article 35

Minister: This is a table for people of faith. Without faith, we cannot receive Christ here. Let’s confess what we believe about this meal.

Congregation: We believe and confess that our Savior Jesus Christ has ordained and instituted the sacrament of the Holy Supper to nourish and sustain those who are already born again and ingrafted into his family: his church.

This banquet is a spiritual table at which Christ communicates himself to us with all his benefits. At that table he makes us enjoy himself as much as the merits of his suffering and death, as he nourishes, strengthens, and comforts our poor, desolate souls by the eating of his flesh, and relieves and renews them by the drinking of his blood.

With humility and reverence, we receive the holy sacrament in the gathering of God's people, as we engage together, with thanksgiving, in a holy remembrance of the death of Christ our Savior, and as we thus confess our faith and Christian religion. By the use of this holy sacrament we are moved to a fervent love of God and our neighbors.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS

Ask the congregation to sing #433

HYMN Amazing Grace! # 433

SHARING OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

PRAYER

†OUR RESPONSE #248

Let all things their Creator bless,

and worship him in humbleness,

O praise him, alleluia!

Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,

and praise the Spirit, three in one,

O praise him, O praise him,

alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

†BENEDICTION: GOD’S BLESSING FOR HIS PEOPLE

Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Go in confident peace, for the Lord is with you. Amen.

Grace Notes Reflection

Grace Notes Reflection

Hebrews 11:17-19 is an accurate picture of Abraham’s defiant faith. He was given a promise in his old age to have a son, and only by a miracle, God kept that promise. Abraham had learned: when God promises, He will always make a way. Now, he is asked by God to sacrifice that very son. But if there is no son, then there is no promise anymore. Instead of facing what looked impossible, Abraham simply obeyed. He sharpened the knife, he collected the wood for an offering, he saddled the donkeys, and I’m sure all of it through tears and doubts; nevertheless, he kept moving. Obeying. A picture of faith—the assurance of things not seen.

From this story, we focused on a few poignant dynamics of faith.

First, faith operates on a different logic than the flesh. It sees what looks impossible and yet continues to trust. How many areas in our lives have we given up on as impossible? Where do we think that God couldn’t work or resurrect or heal? Perhaps what seems impossible is giving up what is so precious to you. For Abraham, it was his son. Are there any areas that we hold back from God, not trusting Him? Do we ever say “you can have anything but this, Lord”? Faith trusts God’s promises will hold true beyond the knife.

Second, we looked at the motive for giving over so much trust. Abraham was not willing to sacrifice his son to please an angry but strong God. He was able to raise his knife because he knew that God will always do right. He knew God’s character and considered it. He knew that since God was the one that was asking, surely God would bring his boy back to him, to give him hope and a future, not despair or cruelty.

Do you consider the character of God amidst the impossible asks of faith? All other gods are worthless idols (Ps. 96:5). The mercy of the wicked is cruel (Prov. 12:10). But God always operates out of His holiness.

Lastly, we considered that God can raise the dead. What we give over to the Lord is not consumed; it is resurrected. What seems impossible to give up flourishes into what is impossible to imagine, a harvest that is 30, 60, and 100-fold. God takes what is given in faith and gives back to us much more grace than the measure of our faith. Our faith is often so small, and yet His grace is superabundant. Do you hoard your hopes, or do you trust in God to bless them? Do you buttress your life and protect against giving as much as possible, or learn to give it away? You can’t out-give God.