Lessons From a Father

Introduction

Good morning. Happy Father’s Day to those of you who fit that qualification. And if you open in your Bibles with me to Genesis chapter 22, we’re going to see a story about a father, and it’s not necessarily that he set out to teach his son something, but he certainly was a father, and he certainly had his son. And so there were lessons that would be taught. In Genesis chapter 22, we’re going to learn lessons from a father, more specifically, lessons from Abraham towards his son Isaac. As you’re turning there, you consider lessons from a father and the tools up there. Not all lessons that a father teaches have to do with tools. That’s a good thing, because at some point, if the Lord wills, I will be a father, and I know nothing about using tools.

And that’s supposed to be funnier than it sounded, I guess. But as you think about that, there are important lessons that can be taught, that must be taught, not just involving an academic background, learning to read, learning to do math. But the most important thing that we as Christians could, should, and must agree to is that everyone, including our children and our neighbors, learn to love and fear God. That is the whole of our existence, to praise God, to worship God, and to show others our mighty God as well. And in Genesis chapter 22, you see that with Abraham, beginning in verse 1. As Michael cited earlier, after these things, God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham, and he said, Here I am. 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.

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. On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 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. 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. And Isaac said to his father, Abraham, my father, and he said, Here I am, my son.

He said, Behold the fire in the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son. So they went both of them together. 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. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son, but the angel of the Lord called him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here I am. 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.

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. 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. Now, this is a pretty emotional story. As Michael mentioned before the Lord’s Supper, you have Abraham here who was told to offer his son Isaac. Just about two weeks ago at the 11 o’clock hour, there was a lesson from Genesis chapter 16 on waiting on the Lord. And you know the star of that bad example of a story was also Abraham and Sarah.

They were impatient and waiting for God to fulfill that promise to have Isaac, the chosen, the promised son. Of course, it seems to be about twenty five years from the time God promised Abraham that Isaac actually was born. And here is Isaac as a young man. Accounts vary. Perhaps a young man you might say, 18 to 25, give or take. And here he is, the promised son. He’s about to make good on the promises of God. There will be a great nation in Abraham’s name because of Isaac, the promised, finally delivered son. And God says in verse 2, take your son, your only son. And here’s where it hurts, the middle part of verse 2. Do you see it? Whom you love. And go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering.

This story raises many questions because here is God, who is the one true and living God, who constantly has written against the sacrificing towards certainly other gods, but certainly murder, the taking of innocent life. And just like with all the other false gods, the Israelites in future generations would sacrifice their kids in worship to these false gods. And we are able to take the moral high ground, you might say, and say, well, God doesn’t do that. And yet here is God telling Abraham to offer his promised son Isaac, to offer him up as a burnt offering before God. I want to learn four lessons this morning from Abraham, because keep in mind we focus on Abraham and his trust in the Lord. And that is true, and that is paramount.

1. Listen to God and Act Immediately

That is important, and that is a point we’ll make. But consider that Isaac is along for this journey. And while it may not be a skill set, it may not be something that Abraham just said, Abraham undoubtedly taught Isaac many key, crucial lessons this morning, and I hope we can learn from them as well. First of all, Abraham taught Isaac through his example to listen to God and to act immediately. Do you see that back in verse 1? After these things, God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham, and he said, Here I am. In verse 2, he says, take your son, whom you love and offer him as a burnt offering. Verse 3. So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, he 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.

Immediately Abraham listened and obeyed. This isn’t just something that Abraham said, Okay, now Isaac, make sure that any time you read what the will of God says, or you hear what the will of God is, make sure you get to it at some point in your life. Or you know, this is something you really need to kind of work on. You’ve got to be able to accomplish this, earn this characteristic over years of training and hard work. No, no, no. God said, Go offer your son Isaac. So Abraham went. You see, Abraham was available. He said, Here I am, Lord. And then verse 3 says, He arose early in the morning, made the necessary preparations, and he went out. Can you imagine what this work at South Bumby would be like?

What the city of Orlando would be like if we worship God and obeyed him the same way Abraham did. The minute we heard the will of God, we just did it. We didn’t ask why, we didn’t ask how. We just did what God said. Our work would be amazing because God’s will would be shining in this community. Can you imagine the lack of crime? The rise in friendliness and brotherly love, not just for the brethren, but for our neighbor, for those who are in need. This would be a utopian society because God has outlined it that way. But perhaps we’re more like the character in James chapter 1. If you turn there to James chapter 1, perhaps I am more like this person. In James chapter 1, we’d read about the folly of a man who looks in a mirror in James chapter 1 and verse 22, when James says, But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. Certainly the point for believers is verse 22, be doers of the word and not hearers only. But consider this picture of a man in verse 24. He goes into the mirror and he sees what he looks like. And when we don’t do what God says, when we wait, when we linger, verse 25, the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

When we do what God says, when we do it immediately, we will be blessed. And yet in verse 24, too often we’re like the one who looks at himself and forgets what he was like. Have you ever spilled ketchup on yourself? Let me rephrase. Have you ever worn all white somewhere? Because that’s when you’re going to spill catch up on yourself. If you were to spill that, what do you say? Well, that’s just too bad. I’m going to leave it there. I know it looks bad. I know it looks goofy. I’m just going to walk around. I’ll have my nice big old ketchup stain on my nice white shirt, right? No, we want to get it off. In fact, we sell these things. There isn’t an industry around, I don’t even know what they’re called, but there’s some sort of magical pin, and you mark it out, and all of a sudden your shirt’s white again.

Isn’t that amazing how we can do that? Because we care so much about how we look. And anytime we see something wrong, an imperfection, a blemish, we want to fix it as soon as possible. That it has to do with the physical body, that has to do with the clothes we put on this physical body, and yet I’m afraid, I’m worried, I’m concerned that when we look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, we’re not as concerned. And not that we wouldn’t say that, not that we would say that we’re not concerned about what God said. I think we would. Not that we don’t believe that God exists and we have to obey his law. I believe that we do. But when we look at how we act, how we respond, I gotta tell you, I’m very quick to make sure I look presentable when going places.

Am I that careful? Do I spend that much time? Do I act that quickly if I realize that how I’m acting is opposed to the will of God. When I examine myself to see if I am living as God has decreed, do I fix it now, or do I kind of say, you know what, that’s something I’d like to be better at down the road. That’s something that I’d I’d like to be able to do, but you know what? It’s just something I’m gonna have to get to. It’s true, and I don’t want to be mistaken, that there are many characteristics and traits like patience and forgiveness and mercy that do take time to learn how to show towards others. But God still demands us to be righteous and to be holy as he is holy.

2. Trust in God, Even Without All the Answers

And that starts right now. That starts today. Isaac would have seen that from Abraham because when God reached out to Abraham, he listened, and then what? He rose early in the morning and got on his way. Consider with me secondly this morning another lesson to trust in God. Yes, you knew that had to be in there. That is one of the main takeaways of Genesis chapter 22. But I like this part, the second part of this, that he didn’t just trust God, even when he didn’t have all the answers. In Genesis chapter 22, we see in verse 4, as I go on this journey, on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 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. I could make a point that Abraham made sure to worship God with Isaac. But verse six, and Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together, and Isaac said to his father, Abraham, my father. And he said, Here I am, my son. He said, Behold the fire in the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? In verse 9, Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son. So they went both of them together. Abraham trusted that God would provide. This wasn’t like the God that Abraham worshipped to take the life of his son.

And yet Abraham didn’t question him on that. Abraham didn’t sit back, he didn’t protest, he didn’t go in the streets and find the local government and say, I don’t agree with this, I don’t understand this. Abraham did what God said. We learn a little bit more about why. Not only did Abraham trust in Noah’s verse 8 says that God will provide. But consider in verse in Hebrews chapter 11 what exactly Abraham was thinking. Hebrews chapter 11, turn there with me. It’s not often in the Bible that we read a ton about in retrospect what someone was thinking, how they were getting through one of these tough moments. But in Hebrews chapter 11, we actually have one of those moments, one of those descriptions. In Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 17.

Know what the Hebrew writer says about Abraham and his mental disposition as this is happening. And remember, Isaac is there. Isaac is the one asking, where is the lamb for a burnt offering? In verse 17, by faith of Hebrews 11, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said that through Isaac shall your offspring be named. He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. Now, certainly, Hebrews 11 and verse 19, the timestamp is that when Abraham had actually reached out his hand and was going to take the life of his special promised son Isaac.

But consider that Abraham’s mindset was not questioning God. It was not being mad at God. It was what? Hebrews chapter 11, verse 19, very clearly, God could even raise him from the dead if it came to it. Abraham had an unshaking, unwavering faith in God. Do you think that may have had an impact on Isaac? Perhaps not in this circumstance. Perhaps Isaac had more questions than answers. But consider that a life of Abraham’s trust in God that would be shown, that could be told of to Isaac by Abraham’s servants, by his mother, by those who knew Abraham. Imagine the impact on Isaac. Imagine the impact on your community if you showed an absolute trust of God. An absolute trust in God that says, Thy will be done, I’m going to do it immediately.

3. God Requires Difficult Sacrifices

And even when I don’t fully understand, I trust God because I know my God is bigger than any of my problems. I know my God is bigger and wiser than any of my mental dilemmas. I know my God will win. Abraham had that trust in God. That would have had a profound impact on Isaac. It’s not something Abraham said in the house. Abraham didn’t have up on his refrigerator a note that said, As for me and for my house, we will serve the Lord. Careful Bible students know that happened way after Abraham. But Abraham showed that to Isaac, no matter what the ask, no matter how big the sacrifice, Abraham would trust in God. Consider a third point with me this morning. God requires difficult sacrifices.

If you go back to Genesis chapter 22 and you look at verse 9, yes, Abraham had a great trust in God. Yes, Abraham would do exactly what God said. But let’s make no mistake, that ask was high. The cost was extreme. In Genesis 22 and verse 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. I just can’t imagine. One of the first emotional grabs of this whole story is not Abraham going, but when when Isaac asked in verse 7, where is the lamb for a burnt offering? But perhaps no point is more sticky and more tough than this one.

As Abraham’s building the altar, laying the wood there, binding his son Isaac, and laying him there for the burnt offering. That is unimaginable to me. In verse 10, then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. He ramped it up. He is going to do this. He is going to trust in God. He’s going to take the life of his promised son, the one he had waited 25 years for, because God had asked him. But in verse 11, the angel of the Lord came called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here I am. 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.

And of course, there was the ram for the offering that would be provided. As you think about this, as you think about that test, don’t just think about Abraham’s trust in God, which is at the utmost height. But think about and key in on verse 12. What is the voice of the angel of the Lord say? Not just that he passed the test, but what? For now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from me. God demands our everything. If you think about it, it’s really not that unreasonable of an ask when you consider two important points. First of all, we are saved only by the grace of God. There is no other way. God is our Maker, He is our Savior in sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.

It is only through the mercy, grace, and forgiveness of God that we can be with him for all of eternity. God can set those rules. But secondly, as we’re thinking about sacrifice, as we’re thinking about giving something of great value and holding nothing back, let’s think about what God has done for us, not just offering his abundance of love, not just offering his abundance of forgiveness. What was the mechanism? What was the price of our forgiveness of sin? It was the blood of Jesus, God’s beloved son. God has paid the price for us. God has done the unthinkable so that we could inherit the unimaginable. Imagine what God has done. Imagine what it was like for Jesus to be separated from God, to be on that cross, to question my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Think about where God is standing as he sees his creation, yes, at his plan, but to see his creation crucifying Jesus. And all of a sudden it makes Genesis 22, and it certainly makes my life, my struggles, my mental questions for God, a whole lot more silly and trivial, does it not? God gave us everything. And too often we’re only in it as long as we don’t have to give up that much. 1 Chronicles chapter 21, there’s an interesting note on sacrifice. In 1 Chronicles chapter 21, as you see about David here in 1 Chronicles 21, he learned and taught us an important lesson about sacrifice. In 1 Chronicles chapter 21, beginning in verse 18. Consider with me in 1 Chronicles chapter 21, verse 18. Now the angel of the Lord had commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Onan the Jebusite, Ornan the Jebusite.

So David went up at Gaz’s word, which he had spoken in the name of the Lord. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. As David came to Orn and Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and paid homage to David with his face to the ground. And David said to Ornan, give me the sign of the threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to the Lord. Give it to me at full price, that the plague may be averted from the people. Then Ornan said to David, Take it and let my Lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing sledges of the wood, and the wheat for a grain offering, I give it all.

But King David said to Ornan, No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing. David knew what sacrifice was. A sacrifice is when you give up something of value. We think of sacrifice as kind of giving the edges, right? When it comes to our giving, when it comes to our financial giving, when it comes to giving of our time, we say, well, we’re giving because we have this slice of time at the end of the day, and we use it for something for someone else. Or we provide the excess of our budget to somebody else. But do we first think about serving God from the onset? Do we actually sacrifice?

That is, I give up something of value of mine for him. You see, Abraham had a difficult sacrifice before him. He had to give up, as God described in verse 2, his only son of Genesis chapter 22, the son whom he loved. This wasn’t just any type of sacrifice, this was the sacrifice to Abraham. Perhaps if you’re a parent, you would understand that Abraham probably would rather have died than allow Isaac to be the sacrifice. And yet that was the ask of God. God requires that we sacrifice everything. We sacrifice our all to serve him. I have to say, I have to think. This is something we say a lot, we hear a lot in Bible classes. If I ask you to raise your hand, do you think how many people have heard over a hundred times we have to sacrifice for God in your life?

Who has heard over a hundred times? We have got to sacrifice for God. There was someone really eager back there. He was really excited back there. We know we have to sacrifice for God. But if we know what sacrifice is, David defined it for us. We can’t sacrifice to God something that costs us nothing. That’s not a sacrifice. We have to give up our everything. So now I have to ask, have I done that? There’s an easy way to check. How much do I think about my life? And do I give first to God or do I give what I have left to God? Do I give the first fruits of my income or the last part of my income? Do I give the first part of my time or whatever time I have left after I’ve watched through whatever Netflix series I’m interested in?

4. God Will Reward His Servants

There’s a big difference in those attitudes. God requires sacrifice. Abraham taught Isaac that. He showed Isaac that by being willing to give him up anything, including himself, including Isaac, to obey, to please, and to honor God. God requires that we give of ourselves. He requires that we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow after Jesus. To deny self is to sacrifice, to give up. Not just some, not just most, but to give up all to seek God. Consider one final point with me this morning. God will reward his servants. This is a lesson that perhaps came more from God than from Abraham. But Abraham certainly benefited from obeying God. Yes, Isaac was the promised son, and perhaps he had heard that language even, and he knew that God would be with his people.

But in Genesis chapter 22, the story doesn’t stop with Abraham raising the knife and a ram being in its place. No, in verse 15 it continues. And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son. I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of the heaven, as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice. Abraham learned that lesson. Isaac was there for that lesson. How many times did the Israelites learn that lesson?

How many times have we benefited from that lesson? If you trust in God’s ways, if you trust in the might and power of God, he will provide. He is our everything. It’s not just about some material wealth, though. It’s not just about inheriting lots of land or making a big income or getting the right job. God wants you to have true peace. God wants you to be with him. And that means having that lesson from Abraham, not just for Isaac, but to us. That God is worth it. That when we trust God and when we obey him, there’s a reason because God has loved us, and he is offering us a chance to be with him. Don’t you want that chance? Don’t you want to be with God?

If you do, it is there for you. It’s a high price, but it’s worth it all. The kingdom of heaven is worth our everything. God is there for you. He is reaching out. Will you take his hand this morning? Will you trust and obey in our God? God offered, God offered Abraham peace. God offered Abraham many even earthly blessings. But perhaps the most powerful blessing within this very chapter is not just the imagery of the sacrificed son of Jesus and God, not just Isaac not having to die, but in a type of being raised, you might say, being offered a second chance at life. But it’s found in verse 18. In your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because you have obeyed my voice.

Conclusion

Abraham submitted to God, and through the lineage of Abraham, Jesus came. And because Jesus came at the plan of God before the foundation of the world, he died on the cross for our sins. We all have a chance at being forgiven, being wiped clean, and taking up our own cross and following after our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Are you up for that challenge this morning? When you consider the lessons of Abraham, he listened to God and he acted. He didn’t just look in the mirror and go away and forget what he saw. He listened, he acted. It was that simple. He trusted in God. Maybe he didn’t have all the answers. He didn’t have all the puzzle pieces, but his answering to questions of how and why that Nagat and more, my God is bigger, my God is better, my God is bigger than my small minded problems.

Then you consider as the two final lessons that yes, God would provide, yes, Jesus would come from his lineage, but the cost was everything. Are you willing to pay the price this morning? Are you willing to trust and obey in our great and powerful God? If we can help you this morning, realize that promises to us, maybe not in the physical way, maybe not if you become a Christian, will you receive the highest paying job in America? But you can be with God. You can have your sins forgiven. If you trust, obey. If you hear, believe in Him. Repent of your sins. Confess that Jesus is the Christ and are baptized having your sins washed away. Maybe you’re a Christian and like David, you realize what sacrifice is, but unlike David, haven’t been willing to pay that price.

We can pray with you and pray for you. Let’s all pick up our cross and follow after Jesus today. If we can help you in any way, come forward as we stand and sing the invitation song.