01(Gen 22,1-14) The Hardest Thing You'll Ever Do for God
I. Value the CALL more than the SACRIFICE. (22:1-4)
A. Called to witness. (2)
- Abraham asked to sacrifice his “only begotten son.” (Heb. 11:17)
- It must become personal before it can be real.
B. Called to worship. (2-3)
- Abraham prepared for worship – materials, etc. (see 22:6)
- Worship involves sacrifice.
C. Called to obey. (4)
- He rose up early; did not hesitate.
- He kept going for 3 days; did not falter.
Historians don’t know a whole lot about Pontius Pilate. Thus we can only speculate about what thoughts and emotions went through his head as Jesus stood before him, his life hanging in the balance.
Although Pilate eventually decided against Jesus, we sometimes forget that Pilate was not a man who went out of his way to condemn him. Indeed, after hearing from Jesus in person, Pilate was convinced that he was innocent
But—for many reasons we can never completely know—Pilate flinched. The immediate reason, of course, was that releasing Jesus would have started a riot (Matt. 27:24), probably followed closely by the insinuation of the Jewish leaders that to release Jesus would be tantamount to treason against Rome (John 19:12).
Caught between expediency and truth, Pilate chose expediency. He “washed his hands” of the matter, abdicated his responsibility to maintain law and order, and left Jesus’ fate to the angry mob.
A momentous choice was before Pilate: He could either take a step of faith or “stay as he was: shrug, scratch his ear, write another memo. He stayed where he was. As most of us do.”
Like Pilate, we have difficulty making a stand for truth. Oftentimes we know the truth, but we can’t bring ourselves to follow it.
II. Seek Holiness more than Happiness. (22:7-12)
Christians often find the experiences of leadership quite different from what we imagined it would be. People who have never been leaders spin romantic fantasies about the glory and attention that come with the job.
God uses our self-directed desires to move us to a place where He can teach us the hard lesson of serving others.
Christian leadership is a School of Character. It means getting to church early, staying late for fellowships, giving up Saturdays to volunteer; staying up late with the sick; preparing another extra dish to help out, etc.
God uses these chiseling experiences to sculpt our character, as He did with Abraham. We thought being a leader in church would bring excitement, growth, results – that it would make us happy (all while we’re serving God, of course).
But God is after something more valuable: to make us holy. He wants the soft, precious gold in the heart of the mountain, and he will move cartloads of rubble to get it.
Therefore, God is not afraid to use disappointment, criticism, discouragement, and limitation to blast away the hardened rock.
A. Abraham believed that God was able. (7-10) (Heb. 11:17-19)
- God was in control of the situation.
- Abraham trusted Gods’ Word despite the circumstances.
B. God proved Abraham feared the Lord more than the situation.
- This test was for Abraham’s benefit.
- It taught him the holiness of obedience.
- Circumstance not designed for happiness.
- We too “prove the will of God” by adherence to holiness. -Rom. 12:2
Are you discouraged about the difficulties of Christian leadership? They don’t necessarily mean you are doing something wrong. They mean that God is doing something right. He’s making you holy.
III. Discover that God Always Provides. (22:13-14)
As these two were traveling up the hill, the son said, “Where is the lamb?” and Abraham, holding back his emotion and steadying his voice said, “my son, God will provide Himself a lamb.”
When the clear fact that this was a trial rose before him, and he looked back upon it, the one thought that came to his mind was how, beyond his meaning, his words had been true.
So he named that place by a name that spoke nothing of his trial, but everything of God’s provision – “The Lord will provide”, or Jehovah-Jireh.
These words have become a proverb of sorts. We usually use the expression to refer to outward things and see in it that we will not be left without the necessities of life. And how wonderfully true that has been proven for many a Christian.
But there is yet a deeper meaning than it the words themselves. What was it that God provided for Abraham? And what does He provide for us?
A. God provides the way for us to be able to serve him.
1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. [1]
- God provides the way through.
B. God always provides the acceptable sacrifice.
- God wants a contrite heart.
- Don’t underestimate the importance of the ram. It symbolizes Christ, without which, Isaac would have to die. (Abraham, you, and I).
- Jesus is the only sacrifice that satisfies God’s justice.
The hardest thing you will ever do for God – is to make a sacrifice. You say, “Whew! Praise God that Jesus did all the sacrificing for me, and I don’t have to sacrifice anymore!” Wrong. What did Jesus say? “Take up sacrifice anymore!” Wrong. What did Jesus say? “Take up YOUR cross and follow me.”
Our sacrifices do not take away sins. They never did. Our sacrifices prove we love God, and fear Him.
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[1]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.