GOOD GOOD FATHERS - GENESIS 22: 1-2

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 22)

22 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”“Here I am,” he answered. 2 “Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

BIG IDEA: FATHERS ARE FOUNDATIONAL.

FAMILIES NEED FATHERS...

BIOLOGICAL AND FATHER FIGURES...

THEY’RE FOUNDATIONAL.

AND YET, EVERY FATHER’S EXPERIENCE IS FILLED WITH CHALLENGES...

YOU SHOW ME A FATHER, AND I’LL SHOW YOU SOMEONE WHO HAS ENDURED AND OVERCOME!

GOOD GOOD FATHERS...

TODAY IS A DAY OF CELEBRATION!

I WANT EVERY DAD - EVERY GRANDDAD - EVERY FATHER FIGURE TO KNOW THAT WE LOVE YOU (ALL OF YOU)…

WE VALUE YOUR BLESSINGS AND YOUR BURDENS…YOUR VICTORIES AND YOUR DEFEATS!

WE EMBRACE THOSE DADS WHO HAVE MATURED, AND THOSE DADS WHO ARE IN PROGRESS....

GOOD GOOD FATHERS!

ONE SUCH GOOD GOOD FATHER IS ABRAHAM - THE FATHER OF THE FAITHFUL...

YES, HE’S A PROTOTYPE OF A FAITHFUL FATHER...

WE DISCOVER IN GENESIS 12 THAT ABRAHAM (ABRAM THEN) WILL BE MADE INTO A GREAT NATION - WITH GREAT BLESSINGS - WITH A GREAT NAME!

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 12)

2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.,

BELOVED, THIS IS A PLEDGE FOR GREATNESS… THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE IS GUARANTEEING THE PRONOUNCED BLESSING...

AND YET....LIKE MOST OF US (((MEN))), ABRAM HAD TO FAIL FORWARD…HE HAD TO STUMBLE INTO SUCCESS.

IN THE SUCCEEDING VERSES OF GENESIS 12, WE DISCOVER THAT ABRAM GIVES WAY TO:

FEAR

CSB (Chapter 12)

11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me but let you live. 13 Please say you’re my sister so it will go well for me because of you, and my life will be spared on your account.”

ABRAM’S GOT A BLANK CHECK FROM THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE, AND YET HE’S AFRAID OF MEN ON EARTH…NOW IT MUST BE NOTED THAT SARAI WAS (IN FACT), ABRAM’S HALF SISTER (A PRACTICE THAT WAS COMMON IN THAT ERA), SO WHAT’S BEING TOLD IS A PARTIAL LIE...

BUT THE LIE AIN’T THE ISSUE.

FEAR IS THE ISSUE...

NOT TRUSTING IN THE PROMISES OF GOD IS THE ISSUE...

ALL TOO OFTEN (AS MEN) WE SEE THE THREAT - WE SEE THE CHALLENGE - BEFORE ANYONE ELSE DOES...

AND THE WAY WE HANDLE THAT PRESSURE DETERMINES THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR FAMILY!

BROTHERS - DON’T LET FEAR MESS UP YOUR FUTURE!

IN THIS NARRATIVE, GOD INTERVENES, AND ABRAM IS SPARED.

GOD HAS TOO MUCH INVESTED IN ABRAM TO EVEN ALLOW ABRAM TO MESS IT UP!!!

BROTHERS - AREN’T YOU GLAD THAT GOD WOULDN’T ALLOW US TO MESS THINGS UP!!!

AREN’T YOU GLAD THAT GOD STEPPED IN WHEN YOU WERE ABOUT TO LIE OR STEAL OR KILL...

AREN’T YOU GLAD GOD SAID, “NO!”

ABRAHAM, HAD THE PROMISED BLESSING FROM GOD, AND YET, HE GAVE WAY TO FEAR....FEAR!

AN ADDITIONAL STUMBLE FROM ABRAHAM WAS A RELATIONAL STUMBLE...

I TOLD YOU, WE ARE LIKE ABRAHAM, IN THAT WE STUMBLE INTO SUCCESS.

WE’RE NOW IN GENESIS 15 AND 16...

GOD HAS GIVEN ABRAM A WORD THROUGH A VISION, AFFIRMING HIM (AGAIN) THAT HIS OFFSPRING WOULD BE NUMEROUS...

BECAUSE OF HIS LIMITED VISION (LIKE MANY OF US), ABRAM COULDN’T SEE IT! SINCE HE COULDN’T SEE IT, HE COULDN’T BELIEVE IT!

SO ABRAM SAYS IN VS. 3 OF CHAPTER 15, “LOOK, YOU HAVE GIVEN ME NO OFFSPRING, SO A SLAVE BORN IN MY HOUSE WILL BE MY HEIR.”

AT THIS MOMENT, GOD AFFIRMS THAT THIS WILL NOT BE THE CASE...

GOD SAID THAT THE HEIR WILL BE YOURS - FROM YOUR OWN BODY...

AWWW LORD, SO IN CHAPTER 16, ABRAM AND HIS WIFE CONSPIRE TO HELP GOD...

NOT TO BELIEVE GOD, BUT TO HELP GOD...

THE ONLY HELP GOD NEEDS FROM US IS TRUST!

BROTHERS, HOW OFTEN DO WE ATTEMPT TO HELP GOD?

TO TAKE MATTERS INTO OUR OWN HANDS?

TO DISREGARD HIS WORD, AND TRY TO FIX GOD’S PROMISES?

ABRAHAM’S FIRST FAILURE WAS (((FEAR))))...

HIS SECOND FAILURE IN GENESIS 16 IS

UNFAITHFULNESS

WHEN WE TRY TO GET WHAT ONLY GOD CAN GIVE - WE’RE UNFAITHFUL!

SO SARAI HOOKS ABRAM UP WITH A SLAVE GIRL (HAGAR), AND THEY HAVE A SON TOGETHER...

THEY’RE HELPING GOD!

THEY’RE TAKING MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS...

WORLDLY WISDOM. HUMAN REASONING...

IF GOD SAID YOU’D HAVE AN OFFSPRING, THEN THIS MUST BE THE ONLY WAY...

MEN! LISTEN!

WE DON’T HAVE TO HELP GOD!

WE JUST HAVE TO REMAIN FAITHFUL!

WE DON’T HAVE TO TRY TO FIX PEOPLE...

WE JUST HAVE TO REMAIN FAITHFUL...

I KNOW I’M TELLING YOU SOMETHING YOU’VE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS...

DON’T LET IMPATIENCE WITH GOD MAKE YOU DISOBEY GOD!

DON’T LET LIMITED VISION ECLIPSE THE UNLIMITED VISION OF GOD OVER YOUR LIFE!!!

ALL I WANT YOU TO KNOW IS THIS:

DESPITE OPERATING IN FEAR AND UNFAITHFULNESS, ABRAHAM STILL HAD FAVOR!!!

FAVOR

AND THAT’S THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY BROTHERS...

DESPITE MISSING THE MARK, WE’VE STILL GOT GOD’S FAVOR!

LIFE HAS BEEN SHAKY (AT BEST), BUT WE’VE STILL GOT FAVOR!!!

I WISH I COULD HAVE A COUPLE OF BROTHERS IN HERE, WHO CAN REPEAT AFTER ME, “I’VE STILL GOT FAVOR!”

IN GENESIS 21, ABRAHAM AND SARAH RECEIVE THE PROMISE OF THEIR SON…THEIR HEIR!

GOD HAS ANSWERED...

GOD HAS PROVEN TO BE FAITHFUL.

IT’S A MIRACLE...

NOW THE COVENANT CAN BE FULFILLED...

AND IN THE WORDS OF MY FAVORITE INFOMERCIALS OF THE 80’S AND 90’S - BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE:

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 22)

22 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”“Here I am,” he answered. 2 “Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

PLEASE PERMIT ME TO CUT ACROSS THE FIELD...

ABRAHAM HAS BEEN THROUGH TOO MUCH WITH GOD TO HESI OR HESITATE WITH GOD!

TAKE.

GO.

SACRIFICE.

WITH IMMEDIATE OBEDIENCE, HE SADDLES UP TO DO WHAT GOD HAS COMMANDED...

BROTHERS, WHEN YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH WITH GOD - WHEN YOU’VE SEEN HIM COME THROUGH - WHEN YOU’VE WITNESSED (FIRST HAND) HIS MIRACLES AND BLESSINGS...

YOU IMMEDIATELY OBEY!

IT’S A TEST!

WILL ABRAHAM CONTINUE TO OPERATE IN FEAR?

WILL ABRAHAM BE UNFAITHFUL? OH NO!!!

WITH ALL OF THE SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR WORSHIP, ABRAHAM AND HIS PROMISED - ONLY BEGOTTEN SON (ISAAC) HEAD UP THE MOUNTAIN TO WORSHIP - TO SACRIFICE!

ISAAC INQUIRES: UM DAD - WE’VE GOT THE FIRE AND THE WOOD...

BUT WHERE IS THE LAMB?

DAD, HERE’S HOW YOU ANSWER WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE THE ANSWER: GOD HIMSELF WILL ROVIDE THE LAMB...

IT’S ALL GOD’S BUSINESS!

GOD CAN HANDLE THE WEIGHT! WE CANNOT!

GIVE IT TO HIM...

PLACE IT UPON HIM....

THIS AIN’T CRAZY-TALK!

THIS IS FAITH-TALK!

ABRAHAM WAS ACKNOWLEDGING HIS SUBMISSION TO GOD...

ABRAHAM WAS PREPARED TO DO WHAT THE LORD HAD COMMANDED, BECAUSE WITH ALL THAT HE’S BEEN THROUGH WITH GOD, ABRAHAM KNEW THAT GOD WOULD PROVIDE...

IS THERE ANYBODY IN THE HOUSE WHO CAN TESTIFY WITH ME THAT GOD WILL PROVIDE?

WITH BACKS THROUGH THE WALL…

WITH THE ODDS STACKED UP AGAINST US...

WITH EVERYONE COUNTING US OUT...

GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES!!!

AS OUR NARRATIVE CONTINUES, ABRAHAM ARRIVES AT THE PLACE.

HE BUILDS THE ALTAR AND BOUNDS HIS SON (HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN)...

ABRAHAM RAISES THE KNIFE, WITH INTENTIONALITY IN HIS EYES AND HEART...

THE TEXT THEN SAYS, (((BUT)))!!!

IT WAS A DONE DEAL...

ISAAC WAS ALL BUT SACRIFICED...

BUT...

ABRAHAM PASSED THE TEST...

HE WOULD NO LONGER ALLOW HIS FEAR OR UNFAITHFULNESS LEAD HIM DOWN THE PATH OF DISOBEDIENCE!

PARENTHETICALLY, AS I REVIEWED MY CONSTABLE NOTES, HE REMINDED ME OF A VERSE NESTLED IN HEBREWS: 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.

ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD SOOO FULLY THAT EVEN IF HE SLAYED ISAAC, HE BELIEVED GOD WOULD RAISE HIM FROM THE DEAD!

BROTHER - DAD - GRANDPA: BELIEVE THAT GOD CAN DO THE IMPOSSIBLE!

BELIEVE THAT GOD WILL ALWAYS BE FAITHFUL...

BELIEVE THAT HIS PROMISES ARE ALWAYS FULFILLED...

BELIEVE THAT HIS WORD IS ALWAYS TRUE!!!

IN THIS PASSAGE, THE LAMB WAS CAUGHT IN A THICKET...

ONE WRITER SAID, AS ABRAHAM AND ISAAC CLIMBED ONE SIDE OF MT MORIAH, THE LAMB WAS CLIMBING THE OTHER SIDE...

THIS LAMB TOOK ISAAC’S PLACE....

THE LORD PROVIDED...

BUT I NEED YOU TO KNOW THAT TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO, ANOTHER LAMB CLIMBED...

THIS LAMB CLIMBED THE HILL CALLED GOLGATHA...

THIS LAMB WAS THE PERFECT SACRIFICE FOR YOU AND FOR ME...

THIS LAMB IS THE FATHER’S ONLY BEGOTTEN...

FULL OF MAJESTY AND SPLENDOR...

THIS LAMB...

HIS NAME IS JESUS...

MARY’S BABY...

THE LION OF JUDAH...

THE LILLY IN THE VALLEY...

THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR...

BRUISED FOR OUR INIQUITIES...

DIED FOR OUR SINS...

DO YOU KNOW HIM...

HAVE YOU TRIED HIM...