Jireh

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Title:  Jireh

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Redemptive Closure (point to Jesus):  

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WELCOME

Good morning!!! My name is Ryan Hanson, and I have the honor of serving here at The Light KC as the lead pastor. I’m so glad you’re here with us.

‌Welcome to those joining us online. We hope you're doing well and hope to see you in person in the coming weeks.

And a special welcome to those joining us for the first time. We’re so glad you chose to be here.

ME/INTRO - Tension

This week as we continue our series “God is...”, we are looking at the various names that God chooses to be known by in an effort to get a better understanding about who God is, what is God’s character, and as image bearers of God himself, learn about who we were created to be and what we were created for...I want to start with a question.

Have you ever been tested?

I don’t mean comprehension check style tests in school, I mean really tested in life?

Have you been through a prolonged time of testing, where you felt God was leading you down a path, but every time you felt you were close to your destination, you ran into another fork in the road, another delay, another closed door?

Andrea and I went through a prolonged period of testing a few years ago.

For the last 5+ years, we have both felt that God was calling me away from the business world and into full time ministry.

On multiple occasions we felt like God was opening a door, just to have it shut in our face.

I had applied and interviewed with quite a few churches, gotten to the final couple candidates, only to be told that I was more than qualified, but they wanted to go with an internal candidate that the congregation already knew.

I can’t blame the churches for the choices they made, but it really made me question the calling I felt God had put on my life.

It was after a few of these rejections that I got a call out of nowhere.

I remember it clearly.

I was in my yard, pushing the kids on the swings when my phone rang. It was a random number that I didn’t recognize, so like any good dad, I abandoned my kids mid-swing and answered the phone.

Apparently, my name was given to the church planting recruiter for the Christian Missionary Alliance by someone I went to seminary with.

I spoke to them for quite a while. Over the next few weeks, had a few phone interviews. Slowly I allowed myself to get excited about the idea of planting a church. I didn’t know much about the Christian Missionary Alliance, but the most research I did, the more I really appreciated what they stood for. They were a denomination that was singularly focused on discipleship. So much so, that if any of their churches grow beyond 300, they heavily encourage them to plant a church and send out a large launch team as they believe that you can’t effectively disciple if the congregation is larger than 300 people.

I got to the point where they asked if Andrea and I would go in for the week long “Church Planting Assessment”.

This was no joke.

Before we went, we both had to fill out every personality test we knew about along with others that we had never heard about.

DISC

Meijer Briggs

Enneagram

Strength Finder

Strength Development Inventory (measured what motivates your choices; people, process, performance)

Once we got there, the testing began.

We had no idea what we were in for.

The first thing they did was explain the agenda for the week and go around the circle introducing everyone (Name, interesting fact)

One particular person on the assessment team introduced himself as a former CIA interrogator and the person that was going to review the personality test results with us.

From hour one I was nervous.

They then explained that I had to give a sample sermon, my testimony, and go through role playing with people showing how I would lead them to faith in Christ.

The interviews weren’t just to see if we had the necessary skills, but they assessment team rotated eating meals with us to see how we did socially as well.

By the end of the week they compiled everything they learned about us and presented their findings, suggested areas we can grow in, and give the go/no-go if we could proceed with church planting.

I had felt God’s call for so long, waited for God to open the door to full time ministry, and this week of testing felt like a navy seal obstacle course leading to another potential rejection.

I think we can agree testing is no fun.

WE - Tension

Have you ever been at a place where you think things are starting to work out, just to find out there is another test in front of you?

Maybe you are in the middle of a time of testing right now?

Have you ever faced a challenge that was beyond your ability to understand what God is doing?

Today as we continue out series “God is...” looking at the names of God, we’re going to look at the story of Abraham.

Abraham thought he had made it through all the tests that God could throw at him.

He and Sarah were childless to an old age yet remained faithful

He left his family and homeland when God called him to go

He finally recieved his promised child Isaac at age 100

But God had one final test for Abraham

And that final test is what were going to talk about today, and see what God has to teach us through the name Abraham gave him at the conclusion of this test, “Jehovah Jireh” - The God that Provides.

If you missed the previous messages, please feel free go to our website, TheLightKC.org, to catch up.

As we begin, please turn with me to [Genesis 22: Sanctuary Bible Page # 16]

We’ll have the scripture on the screen, but if you have a Bible with you, or Bible app on your phone, I’d encourage you to turn to the passage and follow along. There is nothing that replaces having God’s word in your hand.

AND... if you don’t have a Bible, we have Bibles under the seats. If you don’t have a bible and would like one, please come see me after the service and I’ll get you one you can keep.

Let's dive in.

GOD - Text

God Tests

Genesis 22:1 NIV

1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

This was an intentional act by God. God chose to test Abraham.

And it makes sense that Abraham would be tested, let’s remember Abraham’s past

Let’s start in...Genesis 12:1-4

God called Abraham to leave his home in Harran and go to a new land, a land God had not yet shown him

so Abraham went, no questions

Abraham showed an unbelievable faith and trust in God

But then...Genesis 12:10-20

Abraham lied about Sara being his wife in Egypt for his protection, as he was scared they would kill him to take his wife

Abraham’s faith / trust in God was not so strong here

He didn’t learn his lesson...Genesis 20:1-18

Abraham lied about Sara being his wife in Gerar for his protection, as again he was scared they would kill him to take his wife

Abraham’s faith / trust in God was not so strong here

Abraham quickly got his 3rd strike...Genesis 16

Abraham and Sara got tired of waiting for God’s promise to come true and had a son through Hagar their servant

They didn’t wait for God’s provision and took matters into their own hands

Abraham’s faith / trust in God was not so strong here

Throughout Abraham’s life, he had moments of great faith, and quite a few other moments where he showed very little faith in God.

Isn’t this true of all of us?

Can’t you look back on your life and think of moments that you stood firm in your faith, unshakable in your belief that God would follow through on His promises, and nothing could knock you off the course that God set?

But, if you’re like me, you can probably also think of times when your faith was not so strong, when the waiting became too long, felt too painful, and like Abraham you took matters into your own hands?

The truth is, God tests us

But God’s testing isn’t like the testing we’re used to, because as we learned week 1 of this series when we talked about God’s first name ELOHIM, God already knows everything.

God doesn’t test us to find out what we’ll do, becuase He already knows.

God tests us to show us who we are, to help us know what it is that we truly believe.

God asked Abraham to do probably the most difficult thing anyone could ask.

Genesis 22:2 NIV

2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Keep in mind...

Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac, the son that God promised him.

Isaac was now 20 years old.

Abraham had raised him, loved him, and if he was like most parents would do anything to protect him.

Yet...God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac, testing where Abraham’s priorities were

This test was to show Abraham what type of relationship he had with God

Did he love God only for what God had done for him (given him a son), or

Did he love God simply for who God was, free from any caveats?

I think this is a question we all have to ask ourselves; Why do we serve God,

because of what God does for us

or simply because he is God and is the only one who deserves to be the priority in our lives.

Abraham Obeys by Faith

But as we continue in the story, we learn that Abraham has learned from his past failures.

Genesis 22:3 NIV

3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.

According to the text, Abraham didn’t hesitate. Abraham shows no objection. Abraham didn’t have a crisis of conscience.

Abraham simply obeyed; he did as God commanded.

But that doesn’t mean that it was easy.

Genesis 22:4 NIV

4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

Abraham had to travel 3 days to get to Mt. Moriah .

For three days, Isaac was as good as dead in Abraham’s mind.

Later in scripture we get a glimpse into Abraham’s mindset during these 3 days.

Hebrews 11:17-19 tells us that Abraham reasoned that God “COULD” raise Isaac from the dead

But realistically Abraham had no logical reason to think that God would

We see this play out in the next verse

Genesis 22:5 NIV

5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

It is here Abraham stopped calling Isaac his SON, and started calling him BOY, emotionally distancing himself from Isaac, knowing what he was going to have to do.

We also see this in his description of what they were going to do. This is the first use of the word WORSHIP in the bible.

Worship

hwh

bow down

to submit oneself

Abraham knew that to truly worship God meant that we had to submit ourselves completely to God’s will

So I ask us...

Are we, as a church completely submitted to God’s will?

Are you and your family completely submitted to God’s will? No matter what that is?

It is easy to say “YES”, but what do you do when testing comes, when God asks you to risk something that you hold dear (like He asked Abraham to risk his son Isaac)?

Do you submit yourself to God’s will as an act of worship, or are there still pieces of your life that you keep from God?

Abraham showed through his actions that he was completely submitted to God.

Genesis 22:6–12 NIV

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. 9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Abraham was prepared to obey God, even at the cost of his own son.

God Provides

But God didn’t let Abraham go through with it. God provided a substitute sacrifice for Isaac.

Genesis 22:13 NIV

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

But, I think we need to acknowledge that God provided the substitute for Isaac at the very last moment.

Have you ever felt like you can’t go on any longer?

Have you ever felt like giving up on the calling that God has placed in your life?

Have you ever felt like the time has past, it’s too late, and start to blame God for not living up to His end of the proverbial bargain?

The truth is, maybe you’re right on the edge of God’ provision.

Maybe if you hold on just a little longer, God will come through.

Often, God waits until the last possible second to provide so we answer that initial question.

Do we serve God because of what he does for us?

Do we serve God simply for who He is?

Abraham served God for who he is, independent of what He did for him, and learned something about God in the process.

Genesis 22:14 NIV

14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

The name of God we learn from Abraham is Jehovah Jireh - The God that Provides.

But I think it is interesting that of the 1,282 times that the Hebrew word Jireh is used in the bible, this is the only verse where it is translated PROVIDE.

Almost everywhere in the bible the word Jireh is used it is translated as SAW / SEEING / SEES.

Because the work has an imperfect tense, it means that it is past tense.

That means that God has seen, is seeing, and will see everything you’re going through

And when God SEES, He doesn’t stand still, He ACTS

The fact that God has SEEN you, means that God will ACT when the time is right and PROVIDE for your ever need.

So today, know that...

God SEES you

God knows everything about you

God knows exactly what you’re going through

God knows where you’re struggling

God knows when you feel like you can’t go on for one more second

God SEES you

And because God SEES you, God will ACT when the time is right

God will PROVIDE

But, it probably won’t be as soon as you want it to be.

Genesis 22:15–18 NIV

15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

It was only after Abraham obeyed, that God provided the blessing.

YOU - Takeaway

So where are you being tested right now?

What is God trying to teach through this trial?

Remember what James writes...

James 1:2–4 NIV

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

God wants us to be mature in our faith, and it is through testing that maturity comes.

Let’s be honest, most of us are perfectly happy with our current level of maturity.

As adults, we’re only going to grow, if pressure is applied.

We see this over and over in the bible

Abraham - waited 25 years for Isaac

Joseph - waited 13 years to be freed from slavery

David - spent 22 years on the run from Saul before becoming king over all Israel

Moses - spent 40 years in the desert as a shepherd

To finish my church planting assessment story.

I had waited years for God to come through on his calling for me to go into full time ministry.

I was now in the final stages of being approved to plant a church within a denomination I was liking more and more as I learned about them

All I had to do was get through a CIA interrogator and a stack of my personality reports.

It turned out that like the story of Abraham, the CIA interviewer wasn’t interrogating me to learn about me. With the personality tests and his experience, he knew everything about me. The interview was really an opportunity for me and Andrea to learn about ourselves, where God had uniquely gifted us, what motivates us, where our priorities really are, and if we truly were called to go into full time ministry.

We learned a lot about ourselves that week.

We left approved to move forward and plant a church.

We left with the gift of having a group of people lovingly guide us through a process to learn about ourselves and intentionally discern God’s will for our lives.

We left feeling like we could go through any trial, because we knew who we were, we knew the God that we served, and we had the clearest vision of God’s calling for our lives that we’d ever had.

And yet…it turned out the testing wasn’t done, because shortly after this week, COVID hit and all church planting efforts were put on hold.

And we were thrown back to a few more years of waiting.

And that’s when I lived James 1:2-4.

During that last few years, of waiting for God to open the door to full time ministry, all I could do was live a life of obedience.

Praying more deeply than ever

Completely surrendering my will over to God

Doing everything I could to follow every prompt and conviction from the Holy Spirit

Serving in the areas where God led

It is during the times of testing, while we’re waiting, that we are called to live a life of inner devotion and fully align our will to the will of God.

And those prayers, that time of discernment, and every step of obedience led us down here to The Light KC.

WE / JESUS - Redemptive Close - Call to Action

I want to end with the question that Abraham had to face on Mt Moriah

Do you love God only for what He does for you? or...

Do you love God simply because of who He is? with no caveats.

If you’re being tested right now...

Stay strong

Don’t give up

Know that, God SEES you

God loves you

And...when the time is right, God will PROVIDE for your every need.

PRAYER 

Will you join me in prayer...

SONG 

As we enter into our final song, I want to open the steps up front as an altar to anyone who needs God this week. The steps are open for you to pray to the God who is with you, who loves you, you wants to give you His peace.

‌

You may feel a hand on your shoulder as I or one of the elders join you in prayer.

BENEDICTION 

Psalm 121:5–8 NIV

5 The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

This week...

Let’s stop blaming God for the trials that we face.

Let’s thank God for the loving us enough to test us;

to help us learn about ourselves,

to build perseverance,

and to make us mature in our faith.

Let’s not give up when things get tough, but stand strong and know that

God SEES us

God LOVES us

God will PROVIDE when the time is right

Quick reminder...

Digging Deeper Bible Study - Wednesday at 6 PM - Programming for all ages

Town Hall - Sunday 1/25 at 5 PM - please make every effort to come - I’m going to review the year - give an update on the church renovations - have an open time for questions

If you’re new, please fill out the card in the seat back and stop by our info desk, or see me. We’d love to say “hi” and get you know you a bit better.

If you’d like to get more information about taking your next step of faith, fill out the card in the seat back and give it to me or turn it in to the info desk.

I hope you have a great week.

Go in peace.

You are dismissed.

DISCIPLESHIP QUESTIONS (download into APP)

What does the name 'Jehovah Jireh' teach us about God's nature and provision in challenging times?

How can we actively remind ourselves of God's faithfulness during seasons of testing?

In what ways can our trials lead us to greater intimacy with God?

What specific actions can we take to trust in God's provision, especially when we feel tested?

How does understanding that God's tests are meant to show us who we truly are change our perspective on trials?

Can you recall a time when you felt tested? How did you respond and what did you learn from it?

How can we encourage one another in our faith during difficult periods of testing?

What does it mean for you personally to trust God like Abraham did when faced with tough choices?

Have there been moments when you took matters into your own hands instead of waiting on God? What was the outcome?

What steps can you take to make sure you are spending time in prayer during testing times to seek God's guidance?