Sermon father’s day 6-17-12 beyond belief- Abraham and Isaac
Genesis 22:1-8 NIV 1984
Sometime 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.
What is the story
Why is this story hard to believe
I find it hard to believe that God would ask this of anyone
I find it hard to believe that they would go through with it
Abraham is called by God
I am your shield and your reward
No children
I will make you a great nation….as much as the sand of the sea shore
Hagar and Ishmael
Son at a late age…the son of the promise
Called to sac son
Collected servants, donkeys, wood for journey
Abraham trusted God
At the moment of sacrifice, Isaac is spared
A Ram is stuck I the thicket
He becomes the sacrifice
Abraham and Isaac walk down the mountain
Today this is a famous mountain
I wonder what Isaac thinks about all of this?
This story cuts to the quick and asks how much do we believe in God?
Lessons from this story
1. Almost everything in life must be prepared for –
The servants, the wood, the journey, even the knife
In life there is no free lunch
2. Commitment is a cornerstone of successful relationships
I am in this for you and us, not just me
We sacrifice our children to everything else,
Work, money, Sports, selfishness
why not give them to God?
The need for a father to give the child to God
Hannah and Samuel
3. Everyone has a boss, everyone has a father, everyone has a God
Tough lesson to learn
4. I love you enough to do the right thing
It is not your job to make them happy
5. I love you enough to allow, even cause you pain
I am crying over this, but you must learn
6. God will always provide
He is always trustworthy
7. Knowing god is more important than even life itself
One of life’s toughest lessons
At the deathbed of the saints it is put to the test. Is there faith?
8. Your moments with God will shape you forever
You will mark your life by experiences with God
9. Tim c and his landlord
In the moment of life and death, we remember what is important
Don’t wait that long to value those whom you hold dear
Lets not wait for the moment of truth to love and honor God
10. What we find beyond belief, God actually does
Again man was in need of rescue
Again a sacrifice was called for.
This time, a son wouldn’t be placed on an altar, but on a cross.
We call him the Lamb of God, a perfect sacrifice, he is Jesus the Christ.
What we struggle to imagine, Jesus accepted.
Though it is death we should experience, we are offered new life.
So to our earthly fathers, and to our heavenly father,
Happy fathers day
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