The Walk Of Faith (Isaac)

The Walk Of Faith (Isaac) Genesis 22:1-14 ; James 4:13-17 Once in a farming community, it hadn't rained in a very long time, and the people were getting desperate. So the ministers of all the local churches decided to call a special prayer meeting. They said, "Look, we want the whole town to come to the prayer meeting and to bring all their religious symbols with them." So the entire town happily walked to the town square to attend the prayer meeting. They brought crosses, Bibles, little fish emblems, and they all cried out to God. When they finished praying, there was no rain in sight, and everyone walked home, confused and disappointed. The next day there was a little boy in the town square where everyone had gathered the previous day for the prayer meeting. Alone, he prayed, "Oh, God, we need rain. God, show Your power, and give us rain." The day before, when all the people, with all their religious symbols, and with all the preachers calling out to God, no rain. The little boy shows up the next day by himself at the town square, and as he was praying, the sky got darker. As he was praying, some thunder rumbled. As he was praying, a shower came, and it poured down rain. What was it about the little boy? He said the same things that everyone else did. He even brought with him his own religious symbol like the others did the day before when they brought their crosses and Bibles. So what was it about the little boy? The day the young boy came, when the clouds got dark, he lifted up the symbol that he brought: an umbrella. He expected it to rain. When you anticipate rain, you bring an umbrella. When a Meteorologist says it's going to storm, most people believe his word and plan for rainy weather. Meteorologists are wrong half the time and we still take them at their word. Why is it, when it comes to God, who is never wrong, we hesitate to believe and act on His Word? Why do we hesitate? I believe we could all answer that question from personal experience or past feelings. You may hesitate because you've always been the least of those around you. Maybe you're never given the time of day, or trusted, or listened too. Maybe you've been overlooked so much you hesitate to become noticed. A fear of something can cause hesitation. Some people hesitate because they feel too young or too old. Sadness and anxiety can cloud your mind, causing you to hesitate. Then again, maybe you're content with where you are in life, and you hesitate because you're afraid of change. Hesitation can easily come when you don't want to leave your comfort zone. Last week we saw how Abraham was living within his comfort zone until God's test came. Last week we followed Abraham's Walk Of Faith, but he wasn't the only one taking that Walk Of Faith, so this week, we look at Isaac, the child of promise. Have you ever felt God asking you to do something? Has your conscience ever been convicted, and you know you should or shouldn't do something? Have you ever hesitated or second-guessed a decision you made in life? If any of this describes you, then listen up, because Abraham shows us the importance of faith, while Isaac adds the importance of submission. The power of your faith rests in the object of your faith. If you trust the object of your faith, then you'll submit to the object of your faith because of the trust you place in it. So the question becomes, what or who do I have the most trust in? For both Abraham and Isaac, they both trusted and placed faith in God by submitting to God's command to go to Mount Moriah. But while Abraham knew where their journey was headed, Isaac didn't. Isaac just knew he was going to worship, so he just followed and obeyed. In Genesis 22, we don't read much about what Isaac said or did. He just saddled up and followed his father Abraham. In fact, it wasn't until both Isaac and Abraham were walking up the mountain in verse 7 before Isaac asked, "Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" I believe a lot of us can understand Isaac if we prayerfully sit and think about his situation. Here is an older child simply following his dad. He trusts him, so Isaac follows. But also, think of the huge difference between Abraham and Isaac. Abraham heard God, obeyed, and followed God's command. Isaac was just walking along, following. Isaac didn't know that he would soon be lying on the altar; he just followed along. Isaac was a child, who no doubt had been taught by Abraham all about God, so he just followed. You know, sometimes there are people that seem larger than life, and all we do is follow. I've heard so many people say, "We need more people like Billy Graham, who will go out and preach to millions." Well, what's stopping you? No, you're not Billy Graham, but what's stopping you from going out and preaching as he did? I'll tell you. It's because most of the time people are content just to simply follow. Now, there are certain things that we must follow. We must follow the Bible. We must follow Jesus Christ and become more Christlike. That's why it's so important to understand who, what, where, why, and how you're following, because it'll make all the difference. If you're just following yourself, doing whatever feels right, but lacking any clear direction or discretion, then you too will become lost. There are others who just follow a church. Some follow a certain pastor or public speaker. If you're just following the news, or if you're just following the Republican or Democrat parties, sooner or later, you'll become burdened and get tired of following because those things cannot lead to perfect peace or joy. But far too many people walk through life following someone else's journey. So maybe you can relate to young Isaac. Perhaps you've spent so much time following that you've missed the journey, and now regrets begin to pile up like the wood for the burnt offering. Maybe you're feeling like Isaac, not really knowing where you're going or what to expect when you get there. Maybe you feel like you're also walking up a mountain, or carrying the weight of all the sticks of burden upon your back. Maybe you feel like every time you try to do something it seems like you're the one lying on the altar, like you're the one being sacrificed at another's expense. John Newton, the man who wrote Amazing Grace, once said, "I compare the troubles which we have to undergo in the course of the year to a great bundle of sticks, far too large for us to lift. But God does not require us to carry the whole bundle at once. He mercifully unties the bundle, and gives us first one stick, which we are to carry today, and then another, which we are to carry tomorrow, and so on. This we might easily manage, if we would only take the burden appointed for us each day; but we choose to increase our troubles by carrying yesterday's stick over again today, and adding tomorrow's burden to our load, before we are required to bear it." Life tests you, and God allows it to challenge you to learn and grow. But the lessons are almost always about learning to trust more in God. Jesus wants to show you who He is - His power and holiness, but also His mercy and grace. And the only way to pass life's tests is to take God seriously. Only faith prepares you for a test, and only faith will help you pass it! That's why in all of our following, we need to know the what, where, when, why, and especially the Who we are following. Christ sympathizes with your weakness. He knows your struggles and invites you to lay your burdens at the foot of His cross. You see, inside every one of us is a desire to worship someone greater than ourselves. God wants us to follow Him, because His road leads to life. But sadly, too many people follow other paths. They let their burdens determine their path. But God says follow Me! Allow Me to guide you through the valley's and the mountain tops. God says have faith in Me! This is why the Bible warns us in James 4:13-17 not to make plans by living a life like God doesn't exist. Everyone who says, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money" needs to understand that "you don't even know what will happen tomorrow," as James 4:14 says. Remember, Abraham and Isaac's journey lasted 3 days, and Isaac didn't know what would happen in 3 days, or 2 days, or even tomorrow. "We are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes," so why be weighed down with so many burdens? It's responsible to make plans and it's good to have goals, but goals can disappoint us if we leave God out. There's no point in making plans like God doesn't exist when He holds the future. When you keep piling on the sticks of burden, you start losing sight around you because your focus is all upon the sticks. Instead of saying, "If it's the Lord's will we will live and do this or that" as James 4:15 says, all your attention is on the sticks of burden, which can quickly lead to sinful actions, resentful attitudes, wrong paths, and missed opportunities. It reminds me of an old man who once owned a small shop. This old man sold this and that in his small shop because he followed the trends. Whatever seemed trendy, this old man sold. 40 years ago, when this old man was younger, he started this store to make enough money to fulfill his dreams. He had always dreamed of traveling to California, opening a little oceanfront store, and waking up every morning to the sounds and smells of the ocean. In his lifetime, this old man made well beyond enough money to travel to California, but now, here he is, 40 years later, and he's never even seen the ocean. When asked, "Why don't you go to California now and open your shop?" The old man replied, "Because it's the thought of the California sun that keeps me alive." "It's what helps me face these days that are all the same," the old man tearfully said. "I'm afraid that if my dream is realized, I'll have no more reason to go on living." Folks, that's why James 4:17 says, "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them." This is called the sins of Commission and the sins of Omission. Sins of Commission we knowingly do and the sins of omission we commit unknowingly. Yes, it's a sin to tell a lie, but it can also be a sin to know the truth and not tell it. It's a sin to speak evil of someone, but it's also a sin to avoid that person when you know they need friendship. Just like it's a sin to deny God or to simply follow Him without any faith. That's why it's dangerous to play at following God. To act like a Christian on Sunday's, then spend the rest of the week living how you desire is, as Charles Spurgeon put it, "practical atheism." It reveals a person living in fear of other people instead of reverent fear of God. Worship isn't done on Sunday; it's part of your daily life. But, like that old man, if your daily life seems like it's not going anywhere, if your dreams are growing dimmer, or if your sins or burdens of yesterday are influencing your today and affecting your tomorrow, then it's time to follow the One who is life, Jesus Christ. Genesis 22:9 says that "Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it." Doesn't it feel like sometimes your sticks of yesterday, today, and tomorrow are all laid out nicely on an alter that you're laying on? That each burden has its certain place and that other people are laying everything out for you? If that's the case, then listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-29, "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I Am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Isaac followed because, like Abraham, his faith resulted in submission because he trusted God. After all, Isaac was the child of promise, and he knew that God had a future for him. Likewise, God has a future for you, but you must first sacrifice yourself to make room for Christ. You must sacrifice anything that gets in the way of Jesus being your Lord and Savior. Burdens can pile up like sticks. So ask yourself, "What am I carrying?" Are you carrying your religious symbols but not faithfully following? Or are you carrying an umbrella because you know God is with you? Abraham and Isaac both know that God is Yahweh-Yireh, "The LORD Who Provides," and like Abraham, like Isaac, God will provide for you too. He already has in His Son Jesus Christ. Isaac carried the wood and willingly allowed himself to be bound as a sacrifice. But when the angel called out from heaven, "Don't lay a hand on the boy," Abraham saw the lamb caught by its horns. God provided a substitute, and Isaac was set free. Like Isaac, Jesus would also carry the wood - the cross. Jesus would also willingly be bound - for our sins. Jesus was also be placed on the altar of sacrifice. But this time, there would be no shout from heaven as God's hand of judgment fell on Jesus - the ultimate substitute, the eternal sacrifice for our sins, and the perfect example of submission. God gave everything He had for us, the least we can do is give everything we have to Him. What God wants is you, and He will take you as you are, with all your sins, failures, defeats, unrealized dreams, and burdens. God will make you a new person, a child of promise. So sacrifice to Him today anything that's been weighing you down. Anything that's keeping you from knowing Christ or from knowing Him better. Any unconfessed sin, any guilt. Lay all your burdens at the foot of His cross and leave them there. Don't boast, brag, or worry about yesterday, today, or tomorrow. Take that Walk Of Faith to the cross and follow the One who has eternal life and life abundant, Jesus Christ. AMEN 2