What Will You Give Up?

Capture

All greatness comes at a cost.

What are you willing to give up to have greatness?

What would an athlete need to give up?  (junk food, free time, their homes – if they have to train elsewhere)

How about a doctor?  (free time, money for education, years of their lives, etc.)

What would missionaries need to give up?  (their homes, cultures, family, freedoms, money, favorite foods, etc.)

Do you think these people got where they are today watching cartoons every hour of every day?  Or do you think they may have needed to give up something or sacrifice to be successful?

Connect

Genesis 22:2 ESV

2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

Abraham does not know where he is going.

Similar to his calling as a younger man when he left Ur. Leave your family and go to a land I will show you.

Notice the loving terms used (son, only son, whom you love).

Genesis 22:3–5 ESV

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”

Got up early. Only time I get up early is because I have an urgency to be somewhere.

Took wood in case the area didn’t have trees.

Notice, Abraham knows the boy is coming back.

Hebrews tells us Abraham was confident God could raise Lazarus from the dead.

Genesis 22:6–7 ESV

6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

Notice again the close/endearing terms. (Father, son, together)

Isaac is old enough to carry the firewood for a sacrifice.

Do you think Isaac has an idea of what is about to happen?

Human sacrifice / child sacrifice was common in Abraham’s old home of Ur of the Chaldeas.

Genesis 22:8–10 ESV

8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. 9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

God will provide is a strange answer for a sacrifice.

Sacrifice was suppose to be the best of the best. Unblemished and all. How will they find a sacrifice worthy of offering by circumstance?

Did Isaac help build the altar?

Did Isaac fight back?

Are there tears flowing down Abraham’s face or is he confident?

Genesis 22:12 ESV

12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

Why was this a big deal? I mean, beyond the obvious?

Abraham was promised a lineage through Isaac. If Isaac dies, how does that happen?

Abraham’s story is a story of faithful obedience, but he wasn’t always perfect.

Abraham laughed at God when he was promised a son.

Did he lie about his wife being his sister? TWICE

Abraham abandoned his first son to near death in the wilderness.

All of the promises of God were found in Isaac and Abraham was so faithful that he was willing to do anything to follow God.

Genesis 22:13–14 ESV

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

The Lord will provide!

Can you imagine that donkey ride home?

Consider / Collide

What does this mean today?

What would you give up to be faithful to God? What would you sacrifice?

As much as this is a test to see what you will give up, it is a greater test to see what is most important.

Sins

Would you give up that substance that makes you feel good? (ie. drugs, alcohol,

Would you give up that addiction to pornography, language,

Would you give up that spending habit, eating habit,

Privileges

Would you give up your American citizenship?

Would you give up your physical health?

Would you give up your comfortable couch?

Relationships

Would you give up your friends?

Would you give up your family?

Would you give up your child?

Call

What will you sacrifice to faithfully serve God?

Would you give it all to have God? Would you give up EVERYTHING to love Him?

Because on this same mountain 1,000 years in the future; a city will be built called Jerusalem.

The city that David would reign as king in.

Another 1,000 years in the future, a son will carry the wood of his sacrifice up this same mountain.

The difference, there will not be an angel to stop the knife this time!

This is the son that John the Baptist would say, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

The Father will sacrifice his son, not holding anything back, to walk in faithfulness with you.

Would you give your life for God?

Would you surrender yourself to the waters of baptism so you can walk in faithfulness to God?