How to take a test, Test Strategies, part 2

Summarize story

Abraham asked by God to sacrifice his son

God is going to stop him at the last moment, turns out that God was only testing Abraham

our goal is to learn how Abraham was successful in passing his test, getting through this trial

want to gain some wisdom and test taking strategies

concepts that will help you in the most trying of circumstances

Genesis 22:3–4 NASB95

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.

When you’re going through a test . . .

Do the easy problems first.

some of you know what I am talking about, you have some hard test in school, and you do that quick review . . . do number 1, 2, skip 3 . . .do the same thing in life’s trials

Abraham cannot solve the problem of saving his son, but there are some things he can do. Abraham says . . .

I can get up early, I can saddle a donkey

I can gather up two servants and Isaac

I can chop some wood

And I can walk to Moriah

he does what he can do, he deals with the easy problems first

While in your test/trial, don’t just shut yourself down, do what you CAN do, do what you know HOW to do

Only God can fix the situation at the job, but I can

Still drive to work

Still show up on time

Be professional

I don’t have wherewithal to fix the relationship at home, but I still know how to

do the dishes

take out the trash

put the kids to bed

I don’t have the resources to change my financial situation, but I can

Figure out what I owe

Pay the some of the smaller bills

I can put food on the table tonight

When you’re taking a test . . . Do the easy problems first.

In other words, do the possible, and let God worry about the impossible

Genesis 22:5 NASB95

5 Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”

5 Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey”

Don’t let everybody know that you’re taking a test.

Abraham told those servants to wait there, because those servants probably would have tried to stop Abraham . . .

they might have thought, “let’s restrain him, Our master has gone crazy!”

Or caused Abraham to doubt, “Master, are you sure that you heard from God?”

so Abraham says, “stay here”

During a test, we want to share the burden, It’s hard going through tough situations alone

But some people, simply don’t need to know about your test

they won’t understand . . . spiritual matters are foreign to them

they’ll make matters worse if they knew about your test, the trial, the situation

the bigger the test, the less people you can share it with

some people will try talk you out of taking the test

“you don’t have to go through this, God will understand, we’re all human”

you don’t have to give that, God knows your heart”

“You’ve tried long enough: it’s time to move on”

“Are you sure this is what God wants you to do? “

if this was the right path, God wouldn’t let you go through this”

Some will try to get you to cheat on the test, “Just lie a little, steal a little, deny a few things

so don’t inform everyone about your test, You don’t need the doubt, 2nd thoughts, discouragement, ideas of how to cheat

Tell some people, “stay here”

don’t post this one on Facebook

in the group prayer, I’ll just say, “just pray for me”

Some test you are meant to take alone, and sometimes you have to say, “stay here”

and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship

When in a trial . . . When taking a test, and you have completed all of the easy problems, whether you’ve let people know or you’ve kept it to yourself, you eventually have to face that problemthat you cannot solve.

and when you are at this point, you have to think spiritually . . .

first steps were all physical - waking up, packing, chopping wood, walking, stay here

But when you are in life’s test and trials, you have to learn to think spiritually

first . . .

You must make the spiritual decision to worship

Do you see how Abraham goes totally spiritual on us?

he could have said, “We are going to build an altar, arrange the wood, and make sacrifice to God”

but instead he simply says “we will go over there and we will worship . . . spiritual

the Hebrew word, “worship”, means to bow down . . . bowing down indicates submission to someone else’s will

Abraham is going to bow down to the will of God, by sacrificing his son

he has made a spiritual decision to worship

God is my all and all, and I will sacrifice my all

God is my everything, I will give Him everything

I have enough faith in God, to submit to the will of God

I have made the spiritual decision to worship!

In whatever you are facing, situation, trial, test . . . make the spiritual decision to worship

again, i’m not talking about singing a Christian song with a slow tempo

but making a decision to bow down to God’s will, submit to God’s will

for some of you, worship will come in the form of waiting

will you decided to wait, however long God asks you to wait?

for some of you, worship will come in the form of risk

will you decided to risk, whatever God ask you to risk?

for some of you, worship will come in the form of enduring

will you decided to endure, whatever God ask you to endure?

for some of you, worship will come in the form of sacrificing, like Abraham

will you decided to sacrifice, whatever God ask you to sacrifice?

God, you can have whatever you want

i’ll sacrifice my comfort, security, popularity, my dreams, my health, my very life

because I have made the spiritual decision to worship

that’s what “have your way, Lord” really means . . . that’s what “any way you bless me, I’ll be satisfied”, really means

whatever you give, whatever you take . . . blessed be the name of the Lord!

that doesn’t sound enjoyable preacher . . . it’s not . .

make that statement to Abraham, and this is what he would do (ake a sip)

serving the Lord, is serving the Lord

trusting the Lord, is trusting the Lord . . . it’s real

but I do have some encouragement, because as you continue to think spiritually, not only means that you make the decision to worship, you also get to use spiritual logic

I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you

Use spiritual logic

Logic is where you take what you know and deduce the outcome

Dad bought his favorite ice cream, I can figure out that he plans on eating it, soon

Spiritual logic is where you take God’s word, and deduce the outcome

The word from God was that Isaac was the promised son, and that Isaac would have children, and the blessing for the whole world would continue through Isaac . . .

Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham deduced that after he sacrificed Isaac, God would raise Isaac from the dead (spiritual logic)

that’s why he says not only will we go worship, but “We will return to you”

He missed the how, but he got the outcome, he got the result!

Spiritual logic is not new, the Bible is full of spiritual logic, and we would stop worrying so much if we used spiritual logic

The Lord is my shepherd . . . I shall not want (The Lord is my shepherd, I deduce that I’ll have everything I need)

Jesus said, if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your childrne, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those how ask him

The Lord is my light and my salvation . . . whom shall I fear

the Lord is the strength of my life . . . of whom shall I be afraid

If God be for us, who can be again us?

and summarizing the scripture, The song says, “His eye is on the sparrow . . . so I know he watches over me”

Think spiritually!

make spiritual decisions, use spiritual logic . . . .and lastly use spiritual answers

Genesis 22:6–8 NASB95

6 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 the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

Use spiritual answers

Isaac notices that they have everything but the main thing: fire, wood, knife

Abraham does not respond, “boy, you’re the sacrifice” He doesn’t want to terrify the boy

so responds with a spiritual answer, Jehovah Jirreh – the Lord will provide

That’s one way you know you are in a test . . . when a spiritual answer is the only positive answer you can give

I wish I could always say things like,

just call this number

just use my card

just hand me my checkbook

that medicine works wonders

just let me talk to them

just show them this paperwork

but often times, I have to give spiritual answers, I have no choice but to say

The Lord will provide

The Lord will make way somehow

I turned it over to Jesus

I’m waiting until my change comes

if he did it before, he’ll do it again

I believe I’ll run on and see what the end is gonna be

I don’t believe he’s brought me this far to leave me!

Jesus will fix it after while

and there’s nothing wrong with that, because a spiritual answer is the answer

Abraham will testify and say, the Lord did provide

some of you will also testify that

the lord made a way

the lord worked it out

brought you through

brought you out

brought you over

Listen carefully, I’ve learned that . . .

God WILL put on you more than you can bear

That scripture we quote all the time is actually about temptation, not hard times

But God gives you more than you can handle, so you will learn to rely on Him!

God puts more on you than you can bear, so that you will learn how to think spiritually

learn how to make the decision to worship

learn how to use spiritual logic

learn how to give spiritual answers

Same thing with Salvation!

our sin is more than we can bear, more than we can make up for

there is nothing that I can physically do to earn my way into an eternity with God

can’t pray enough

can’t do enough good

can’t make enough pilgrimages

can’t give enough money

I need a spiritual answer

and my spiritual answer is to the sin problem, is the same as Abraham’s

Jehova Jirreh

God will provide himself a lamb

and God provided the Lamb, Jesus

God did sacrifice his son, gave everything for us

so suffered, bled, and died

and he did rise again . . . spiritual logic

it’s spiritual logic that death could not hold the son of God

and now it’s up to you to make a spiritual decision, accept him as Lord and savior