The Next Level--Abraham

The Pure Heart Test

Today’s lesson looks at one of the greatest tests any person has ever faced. God calls Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to demonstrate his loyalty to God.

Wilson calls it “The Pure Heart Test.”

Consider whether time will allow the following instruction. It may be better to skip down to bulleted list below.

In the Bible, the heart is considered to be the center of our being. The heart is who we are. What we are in our hearts is who we truly are.

Concerning the heart the Bible says:

Jeremiah 17:9 NIV

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Proverbs 4:23 NIV

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Often you will hear someone say that the human heart is basically good.

That is not what Scripture teaches. The Scriptures teach that the human heart is wicked. Why? When Adam and Eve sinned their hearts became corrupt and wicked, separated from God, and they pass that trait on to all their children, including us. Only Christ, whose Father is God, was born with a pure heart. All others are born with a fallen nature and a sinful heart.

Pastor Voddie Baucham says that parents of young children know that we are born with a sinful heart. He said babies are vipers in diapers, that God made them small so they wouldn’t kill us, and that God made them cute so we wouldn’t kill them.

The test God gave Abraham tested the true loyalty of his heart.

We need to remind ourselves of Abrahams story.

Abraham age 75 and Sarah age 65 left the land of their ancestors and headed towards the promised land.

They prayed for a child, but Sara didn’t conceive.

Sara decided to help God and send Hagar, her maid, in to Abraham’s bedroom; Hagar became pregnant and bore a son named Ishmael.

Discuss the danger of trying to help God. (Do this quickly as one large group)

This was not God’s plan.

Finally when Abe was 100 and Sarah 90 they had a child together whom they named Isaac.

Scott Wilson writes:

This, as you can imagine, was no ordinary family. The parents had received a promise from God, but they had waited 25 years for the promise to be fulfilled. Now, in their old age, they had the son they had dreamed about for all those years. As Isaac grew, his father’s love for him gradually consumed his heart. The boy, God’s promised gift, crowded God out of the center of Abraham’s affections and became an idol. (42)

The Bible says that God is a jealous God and that He accepts no rivals.

Wilson, Scott. The Next Level: A Message of Hope for Hard Times . Salubris Resources. Kindle Edition.

Wilson, Scott. The Next Level: A Message of Hope for Hard Times . Salubris Resources. Kindle Edition.

Wilson points out in the text on page 42 that there are two types of jealousy. One is sinful and one is not.

Discuss the difference between sinful jealousy and appropriate jealousy. Discuss the dangers of sinful jealousy. (Monitor time and perhaps skip or do quickly as a large group).

God telling Abraham to sacrifice Isaac tested the loyalty of Abraham’s heart. Who did Abraham love more? To whom was he more devoted? Isaac or the Lord?

Imagine how hard this command hit Abraham.

I am sure he thought he misunderstood God.

Maybe he felt like arguing with God.

No, Abraham was such a man of faith that he heard what God told him to do and he set about doing it.

says:

Hebrews 11:19 NLT

Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

Abraham followed through on the Lord’s command.

Went to the mountain.

Built an altar.

Prepared the wood

Bound Isaac

Laid Isaac on the wood

Lifted the knife and began the downward plunge

But then he heard the voice of the angel of the Lord:

Genesis 22:12 NIV

“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.”

Wilson writes:

God designed this moment in Abraham’s life to purify his motives and bring his wandering heart back to him. (43)

When the gift replaces the Giver, God steps in to reorient our priorities. (43)

What is the most precious gift God has given you? Perhaps it’s a child, or maybe it’s a spouse or a career you enjoy. In many cases, it’s a dream come true, someone or something we’ve longed for. We may have prayed and waited for years. Finally, God gave us our heart’s desire, and we’re supremely grateful. If these people, possessions, or roles gradually shove God off the throne of our lives, however, they become idols instead of gifts. (43)

Wilson, Scott. The Next Level: A Message of Hope for Hard Times . Salubris Resources. Kindle Edition.

Wilson, Scott. The Next Level: A Message of Hope for Hard Times . Salubris Resources. Kindle Edition.

We are wise, she observes, to loosen our grip on God’s gifts so our hands can grasp something far more valuable. (44)

Wilson, Scott. The Next Level: A Message of Hope for Hard Times . Salubris Resources. Kindle Edition.

On page 44 Wilson quotes Elisabeth Elliot who wrote:

Wilson, Scott. The Next Level: A Message of Hope for Hard Times . Salubris Resources. Kindle Edition.

“Money [and any other possession or person who may take God’s place in our hearts] holds terrible power when it is loved. It can blind us, shackle us, fill us with anxiety and fear, torment our days and nights with misery, wear us out with chasing it.

On the top of page 46 we find this question:

Who are some people or things that are gifts from God but can become too important in believers’ lives? In other words, what are some things, people, possessions, activities, etc. that can crowd God out of our lives?

Wilson, Scott. The Next Level: A Message of Hope for Hard Times . Salubris Resources. Kindle Edition.

Wilson, Scott. The Next Level: A Message of Hope for Hard Times . Salubris Resources. Kindle Edition.

Wilson, Scott. The Next Level: A Message of Hope for Hard Times . Salubris Resources. Kindle Edition.

Answers could include such things as spouse, child, grandchild, home, vehicle boat, hobby, career, money, etc.

In this lesson we saw God test the purity of Abraham’s heart. God wanted to reveal who was first in Abraham’s life.

Maybe as you thought about what God asked Abraham to do you thought to yourself:

I hope God doesn’t ask me to give up my house.

I hope God doesn’t ask me to sell my bow.

I hope God doesn’t ask me to (you fill in the blank).

If you had a thought like that, Wilson says that the thing that came to your mind might be too important to you and is crowding God out of His rightful place in your life.

On page 46 the second question on the page asks:

What are some signs that we’re clinging too much to those people, things, or roles more than we cling to God? (What are some clues that something is crowding out the importance of God in our lives?)

What steps can we take to make sure God remains first in our hearts?

Lastly, today, I want you to take time to reflect on your life and consider the rightful place of the gift and the Giver of gifts in our lives. I want you to ask God to give you the help you need to put Him first in your life.

Precious Father, we want you to be first in our lives. Open our understanding today and let us see anything in our hearts that is crowding you out of the place of importance you deserve in our lives. Help us to repent of any such sin and restore the purity of our hearts. Helps us to enjoy the blessings you give us, but above all else, help us to keep our hearts pure as we surrender to your lordship of our lives, in Jesus name, amen.