Lent 1 (3)

Genesis 22:1-18 (NIV) 1  Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. 2  Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." 3  Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled 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. 4  On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 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." 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." 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. 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." 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."

How important is testing? It has been almost a year since COVID-19 protocols have impacted our lives and we continue to live with certain changes that we may or may not agree with. I think we had all hoped that by now things would have gotten back to normal and that the virus would no longer be a threat. We understand that this is not the case and are warned that the virus may very well be here to stay — compared to strains of the flu. Well, how do we combat this virus? One way is the use of vaccinations. But vaccinations don’t just appear over night. They are the results of development and testing.

The most commonly used vaccines have been around for decades, with millions of people receiving them safely every year. As with all medicines, every vaccine must go through extensive and rigorous testing to ensure it is safe before it can be introduced in a country.

An experimental vaccine is first tested in animals to evaluate its safety and potential to prevent disease. It is then tested in human clinical trials, in three phases:

In phase I, the vaccine is given to a small number of volunteers to assess its safety, confirm it generates an immune response, and determine the right dosage.

In phase II, the vaccine is usually given hundreds of volunteers, who are closely monitored for any side effects, to further assess its ability to generate an immune response. In this phase, data are also collected whenever possible on disease outcomes, but usually not in large enough numbers to have a clear picture of the effect of the vaccine on disease. Participants in this phase have the same characteristics (such as age and sex) as the people for whom the vaccine is intended. In this phase, some volunteers receive the vaccine and others do not, which allows comparisons to be made and conclusions drawn about the vaccine.

In phase III, the vaccine is given to thousands of volunteers – some of whom receive the investigational vaccine, and some of whom do not, just like in phase II trials. Data from both groups is carefully compared to see if the vaccine is safe and effective against the disease it is designed to protect against.

Once the results of clinical trials are available, a series of steps is required, including reviews of efficacy, safety, and manufacturing for regulatory and public health policy approvals, before a vaccine may be introduced into a national immunization program.

Following the introduction of a vaccine, close monitoring continues to detect any unexpected adverse side effects and further assess effectiveness in the routine use setting among even larger numbers of people to continue assessing how best to use the vaccine for the greatest protective impact. More information about vaccine development and safety is available here.

3. You'll get paid—but you'll also face risks

Participants in clinical trials for coronavirus vaccine candidates will be compensated, Murphy writes, and the amount participants will receive "varies by the trial." According to Murphy, the amount can range from between a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars.

Daniel Hoft, director of the Saint Louis University Center for Vaccine Development, told Murphy that researchers pay trial participants to compensate them for their "time and trouble."

But Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist, warned that people who find the compensation as an "extraordinarily attractive" incentive to participate in a vaccine trial also need to consider the risks associated with receiving an experimental vaccine. "You don't want to let compensation blind you to the need to pay attention to the risks."

But this is not the only testing associated with COVID-19. Individuals who show symptoms or plan to do activities which will bring them into close contact with others are tested to see if they have this virus. Some of you have undoubtedly been tested for this.

Testing is not limited to the creation of vaccines or determining issues with a person’s health.

Students discover at an early age what testing is all about.

You can’t get a driver’s license without taking the written and behind the wheel tests.

In our church we “test” the students at examination before they are confirmed.

We test the ice to see if it safe to go out on it.

Testing, of course, is nothing new. Today’s sermon focuses on how God tested Abraham’s faith and how Abraham passed that test. We will also explore ways in which our faith and faithfulness are tested and how God can empower us to pass those tests.

Difference between temptation and testing. Temptation hopes for a fail. Testing hopes for a success.

The Greek word in Hebrews used to describe this event can mean either tempt or test. The Hebrew word in Genesis means to put to the test. In either case the person tested is put into a situation which will prove something about them. The difference in translating to to either test or tempt depends on the context and what the goal of the one testing is. Does the person providing the test or temptation want the other person to succeed or fail. If it is to succeed, then test. If it is to fail, than tempt.

Hebrews 11:17-19 (NIV) 17  By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18  even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 19  Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

Certainly, God wanted Abraham to succeed. And Abraham does. He does not hesitate to make preparations and to seek to carry out God’s command. Just before he sacrifices Isaac, God intervenes and provides a substitute.

What do we learn about Abraham from him passing the test?

We have the Lord’s evaluation: Genesis 22:12–18 (NIV)

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.” 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. 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.” 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.”

We already heard what Hebrews says about this event.

We have James commentary on the importance of putting faith into action.

James 2:20–24 NIV

20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

Conclusion: Even though God told Abraham to do the unthinkable, Abraham’s faith was so great that he willingly obeyed God trusting that even if Isaac died, God would raise him from the dead. His faith an obedience proved genuine.

We could cite many other examples of how people in the Bible were tested and how they performed but this one stands out as the ultimate example of what sinful humans can do to overcome testing.

The ultimate example of how a sinless human overcame temptation is that of Jesus. In his case it was Satan who was testing (or tempting) him with the goal to make him fail. Jesus powerfully overcame those temptations with the word of God as part of his active obedience.

Are you ever tested? I don’t mean in school, before you get a license, or a medical test. Are you ever tested spiritually? Do events happen in your life where you are forced to make a decision which will show your true faith and integrity?

It can be a simple test. You pay for an item and the clerk gives back way too much in change.

You are driving at a safe and reasonable speed on HWY 97 and a car blows by you well over 80 mph.

You find out that others are bad mouthing you at school or in the community.

You are offered something to eat or drink that you have decided to avoid or you are not of age to consume.

During Lent many devout Christians give something up for Lent only to be tested to break their vow over and over again.

Certainly, Jesus knew that we would face temptation. That is why he includes in the Lord’s Prayer “Lead us not into temptation.” Although it may sound as though we are praying that God would not tempt us to sin, James tells us the true source of temptation and the promise for those who pass the test.

James 1:12–15 NIV

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Luther also explains what does this mean? God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.

We do pray that we won’t be tested. And we also pray that when we are tested, we will overcome.

1 Corinthians 10:11–13 (NIV)

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.