WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.319 Welcome to the Awakening Church podcast. 00:00:02.479 --> 00:00:07.040 We pray this message encourages you and provides the hope and light of Jesus Christ. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:08.640 Thanks for tuning in. 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:27.120 If we haven't got the chance to meet yet, my name is Glenn, and I get to oversee the worship and production and our protege ministry here. 00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:30.000 And today I get to present God's word to you. 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:32.960 It's really a privilege and an honor to get to do so. 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:39.439 So before we dive in today, would you just pray with me as we posture our hearts to hear from God this morning? 00:00:39.679 --> 00:00:40.880 Let's pray. 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:50.560 Heavenly Father, we ask that your Spirit would speak to us this morning. 00:00:54.079 --> 00:00:59.520 God, we we all come into this room with different things that are weighing on our hearts. 00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:06.719 And I pray that you would just hold them in this time and that you'd keep them from distracting us. 00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:11.599 And you would help teach us something new today. 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:21.840 And that through the power of your word, we leave today feeling more encouraged and spurred on in our faith and relationship with you. 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:25.120 God, we pray these things in your son's name. 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:26.000 Amen. 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:33.040 I met my wife in 2020, actually here at the church. 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:39.200 She was in the same small group, it was a Zoom small group because we weren't in person then, as my parents. 00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:42.319 My parents were in the same small group as my future wife. 00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:44.159 I was not in the small group. 00:01:44.319 --> 00:01:53.359 I was living at home, though, and I heard a tremendous amount about this young, beautiful, sweet, kind, awesome, amazing woman named Brittany. 00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:58.079 My mom would always talk about her, and I'm like, mom, like, I'm fine. 00:01:58.239 --> 00:01:59.920 Like, I don't need to date anyone. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:00.560 It's fine. 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:02.319 Like, I don't don't set me up, mom. 00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:05.200 Classic son things to do. 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:12.159 And a couple months passed after they got to meet her, and Awakening started meeting in person again. 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:15.439 And then I got the opportunity to meet her myself. 00:02:15.919 --> 00:02:17.599 Guess what I found out? 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:19.520 My mom was right. 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:20.719 Yep, that's right. 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:21.599 She was right. 00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:24.879 Brittany was beautiful, she was kind, she was sweet. 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:28.479 And so I was like, maybe, maybe I'll ask this girl out. 00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:31.680 And I hadn't dated anybody for quite some time. 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:39.520 And so I really was wrestling with God, trying to figure out if it was the right time, if this was the right person to step in and explore dating with. 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:42.879 And it really seemed like a green light to me. 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:44.319 She loved Jesus. 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:45.360 She was nice. 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:47.039 Like, all checked all the boxes. 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:48.159 My parents already love her. 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:49.919 I was like, this is gonna be great. 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:58.639 And so I was like, all right, Lord, you know, like stop me if this is not your will, but God, I'm pretty sure this is your will, right, Lord? 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:07.680 And so I went to go reach out to her and see if I could ask her out on a date, and I found out she was dating somebody. 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:13.199 Guys, I was I was so upset. 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:21.439 Um and I'm not proud of this, but I I remember stomping up my parents' stairs and like slamming the door closed when I found this out. 00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:23.520 It's so dramatic. 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:24.639 Um, but that is me. 00:03:24.960 --> 00:03:26.800 If you don't know me, I'm dramatic. 00:03:27.599 --> 00:03:31.199 Um But we've all experienced something like this, right? 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:39.039 Where we've had something good, whether it's a good opportunity or it's a potential relationship, or maybe it's something that we own that's good, something we have. 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:43.919 And then God either takes it from our lives or asks us to surrender it to Him. 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:48.240 And this is really confusing and really hard. 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:52.560 And it prompts us to ask the question, why? 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:55.919 Why would God ask for something good? 00:03:58.400 --> 00:04:01.599 We kind of get the idea of God asking for something bad, right? 00:04:01.919 --> 00:04:06.800 Like, yeah, get rid of those bad things in my life, I'll surrender them to you, take them away, and I'm a better person. 00:04:07.039 --> 00:04:12.240 But as soon as he asks for something good, it's it's hard and it's confusing. 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:19.600 And so this morning we're gonna take a look at this question: why would God ask for you to surrender something good? 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:31.439 We've been in a series looking at the dysfunction in the family of God that's presented in the book of Genesis, and we've seen how God is at work in the midst of the dysfunction and all the sin. 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:36.160 Ryan talked about Cain and Abel, about Babel, about Noah. 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:41.600 And then last week, Dave kicked us off with Abraham part one, and we talked about Abraham. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:56.879 Today, we're gonna be looking at the final story of Abraham's life, and it's known as the binding of Isaac or the sacrifice of Isaac, to really address this question: what do we do when God asks us to surrender something good and what's going on behind that request? 00:04:57.759 --> 00:05:02.800 This passage is probably the most popular of stories about Abraham's life. 00:05:03.040 --> 00:05:06.480 You think of Abraham, people probably think of the binding of Isaac. 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:11.759 But at the same time, it's also kind of the more confusing passage to understand. 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:16.959 And this is because of what God asks Abraham, and then because of how Abraham responds. 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:22.160 But I think that we need to not shy away from the difficulty of this passage. 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:27.680 I think it's actually wanting us to ask the questions about its strangeness and about the difficulty of it. 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:33.600 Because from the confusion of this passage and the difficulty of it, we actually can help discern the meaning. 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:39.040 And so, what we're gonna do today is I'm just gonna read through the entirety of this story in Genesis 22. 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:42.800 So if you have Bibles or you have phones, just open up to Genesis 22. 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:44.000 We're gonna read through it. 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:48.319 And then after, I'm gonna just ask two questions that I think the text prompts. 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:52.959 And from those two questions, we can help further understand what is going on here. 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:54.240 Sound good? 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:56.399 Okay. 00:05:58.800 --> 00:05:59.439 Sounds good. 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:03.439 Alright, this is Genesis chapter 22, verse 1. 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:07.360 Sometime later, God tested Abraham. 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:11.360 Sometime later is referring to the entirety of Abraham's narrative. 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:13.839 So this is the last story that we're getting. 00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:17.759 He said to him, Abraham, here I am, he replied. 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:24.560 Then God said, Take your son, your only son whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of Moriah. 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:28.639 Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you. 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:32.399 This is where the difficulty of the passage comes from, right? 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:35.680 God's asking for Abraham to sacrifice his son. 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:37.759 It's not in God's character. 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:39.920 Thus far in the book of Genesis, it's kind of confusing. 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:40.879 What's going on? 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:42.240 Verse 3. 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:45.920 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:49.360 He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:54.720 When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he sent out for the place God had told him about. 00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:58.720 On the third day, Abraham looked up and he saw a place in the distance. 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:03.279 He said to his servants, Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:06.560 And then we get this kind of strange line from Abraham. 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:11.680 He says, We will worship, Isaac and Abraham will worship, and then we will come back to you. 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:14.079 Isaac and Abraham will come back to the servants. 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:18.800 Didn't God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:21.120 Like when he not come back with him? 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:22.959 What's going on here? 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:24.720 Verse 6. 00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:31.439 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:37.360 And as the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father, Abraham, Father? 00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:43.759 Yes, my son, Abraham replied, The fire and wood are here, Isaac said, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:45.519 Dad, where's the lamb? 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:51.279 Abraham answered, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son. 00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:53.120 And the two of them went on together. 00:07:53.279 --> 00:07:56.879 Again, kind of a strange comment from Abraham, like, what's going on? 00:07:57.040 --> 00:07:57.439 The lamb. 00:07:57.600 --> 00:08:01.360 Abraham, you know that the lamb is supposed to be Isaac, but Verse 9. 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:07.040 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:10.959 He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:15.279 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:20.639 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, Abraham, Abraham. 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:23.120 Here I am, he replied. 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:25.839 Do not lay a hand on the boy, he said. 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:28.079 Do not do anything to him. 00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:33.519 Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son. 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:38.960 Abraham looked up, and there in the thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:45.279 He went over to the ram and took it, and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:53.440 So Abraham played called the place, the Lord will provide, and to this day it is said, On the mountain of the Lord, it will be provided. 00:08:54.159 --> 00:09:12.000 Then the angel of the Lord called out to Abraham from heaven a second time, and said, I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the st stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:21.120 Your descendants will take possessions of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me. 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:28.799 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba, and Abraham stayed in Beersheba. 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:34.320 So God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. 00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:41.759 Then without any sort of dispute, Abraham wakes up early the next morning and is like, All right, let's go. 00:09:42.480 --> 00:09:52.320 And then Abraham makes some weird comments along the way, and then just as he's about to do what God asks him to do, God stops him and then blesses him for almost sacrificing his son. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:58.720 So we can kind of see why this passage might be a little confusing to modern readers, right? 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:02.799 Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:09.039 But again, it's from the difficulty of this passage that I think that we can discern the meaning. 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:14.000 And so today, we're going to be taking a look at two questions that this text poses. 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:19.360 The first is why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:25.279 Second, why would Abraham agree to sacrifice his son? 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:28.159 Why would God ask for it? 00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:32.559 And why would Abraham agree and follow through with it? 00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:35.519 Let's take a look at the first question. 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:39.840 Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:47.600 Well, we need to understand that in the cultural context of Genesis, this is actually sacrifice was normal. 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:56.080 It was not like God talked to me and was like, all right, Glenn, now take your phone and go up to the mountain and destroy it. 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:57.600 Like, that's not how we were. 00:10:57.679 --> 00:11:00.320 I mean, if he did that, I hope I'd be obedient. 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:02.559 But that's not how our culture works. 00:11:02.799 --> 00:11:05.679 But it is how the culture worked in Genesis. 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:13.120 Surrender or sacrifice was a way of wholly and completely surrendering something to a deity as an act of worship. 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:16.879 It was generally to express gratitude or atonement. 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:26.159 And all that to say is that Abraham would really understand what God meant when he asked for Isaac as a sacrifice. 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:31.919 He would have understood that God was asking Abraham to surrender Isaac, not just to sacrifice him. 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:33.919 It was a giving back to God. 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:40.799 And to really understand the weight of this request, we need to remind ourselves of who Isaac was. 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:48.320 In Genesis chapter 12, God meets Abraham, and it's the beginning of this narrative we get about the life of Abraham. 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:51.120 And Abraham himself is 75 years old. 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:54.799 And God says, Hey, Abraham, I'm going to bless you. 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:57.279 I'm going to make you into a great nation. 00:11:57.600 --> 00:12:02.639 And through your family and through this nation, I'm going to bless all the world. 00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:08.320 And so for 10 chapters after that, we get stories about the life of Abraham. 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:16.159 And a lot of the stories, as Dave highlighted last week, are not very good stories. 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:18.159 They're stories of dysfunction. 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:26.159 And what Abraham gets is God's consistent love and faith to him through it all. 00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:32.720 And God continues, but he does that by continuing to repeat this blessing that he gave to Abraham at the beginning of the narrative. 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:34.080 He says, I'll bless you. 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:36.159 I'll make you into the great nation. 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:41.600 But there's one really big problem over the whole narrative, over these 10 chapters. 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:50.159 And that is, if God's going to bless Abraham with a great nation, he needs children that are going to become that great nation. 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:53.919 And Abraham did not have children at the age of 75. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:58.000 And those 10 chapters are a 25-year span. 00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:00.159 And Abraham did not have kids. 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:05.759 And again, Dave talked about this last week, how Abraham and Sarah tried to make their own heir. 00:13:06.639 --> 00:13:09.279 And God ends up rejecting this heir. 00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:20.080 He does bless him, but he clarifies in chapter 17 that Isaac is actually going to be the one to establish the covenant that God made with Abraham. 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:23.360 So God says, not Ishmael, you try, I know you tried your own way. 00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:28.559 That's not, it's going to be through you and Sarah, and the son is going to be Isaac. 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:30.240 And I'm going to give this son to you. 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:37.440 So then after 25 years, God gives Isaac to Abraham and Sarah, and he is this promised child. 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:45.039 So Isaac wasn't just a beloved son, he was a child of promise. 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:54.320 So when God's asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, he's also asking him to sacrifice the promise back to him. 00:13:55.759 --> 00:14:03.679 So when God is asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, he is asking for Abraham to sacrifice the promise. 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:08.639 And this is why the story is really seen as the climax of the narrative. 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:12.480 The beginning, you get this promise, and then you get the promise reiterated throughout it. 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:14.159 God gives Abraham Isaac. 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:14.960 Okay. 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:20.159 And then you get this last chapter, and then all of a sudden, God's asking for Isaac back. 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:27.519 And God was asking for this because he was testing Abraham. 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:34.320 He was testing Abraham to see if Abraham believed that God would carry out his promise to him. 00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:38.799 He was asking him to surrender the promise to see if God would come through. 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:43.039 And we know this because it's in the text. 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:44.559 It's in verse 1. 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:46.799 It says God tested Abraham. 00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:57.840 And I think it's important to note here, especially as we're modern readers, that the narrative wants us to know that it was never in God's plan to kill Isaac. 00:14:58.080 --> 00:14:59.360 God is not vengeful. 00:14:59.440 --> 00:15:03.039 He was not trying to kill a human to be sacrificed to him. 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:03.679 That's not the plan. 00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:07.039 The narrative says God was testing, and then there's two outcomes. 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:13.919 Either Abraham responds in obedience and God stops him, or Abraham does not respond in obedience. 00:15:14.159 --> 00:15:16.080 Okay, so God was testing Abraham. 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:20.399 That's why he asked for him to sacrifice his son Isaac. 00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:23.039 But there's also something else going on here. 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:28.240 God was displaying something through this test to Abraham. 00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:32.639 And he was displaying that he is a provider. 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:36.320 God was demonstrating that he will provide. 00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:40.720 And this is exactly what happens in the story, right? 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:48.320 Once Abraham and Isaac ascend up the mountain, God provides a ram is a substitute for Isaac. 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:52.320 And then Abraham says, the Lord will provide. 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:56.960 Did you catch that Abraham doesn't say the Lord has provided? 00:15:57.279 --> 00:16:01.840 Or the Lord provided for me here, or in this place, the Lord provided for me. 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:04.159 It says the Lord will provide. 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:11.200 And Abraham does this because he's calling out a characteristic of who God is. 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:19.759 This test revealed to him with full and complete confidence that God is a provider and he will provide for us. 00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:27.919 And what's really cool is that in the context of the New Testament, we're able to see the binding of Isaac a little differently. 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:41.679 And we're able to see that the provision that's presented in the binding of Isaac doesn't just point to God's general provision and his general characteristics of provision, but it points to a specific provision, the ultimate provision through Christ. 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:47.919 And so the binding of Isaac is a picture of God's ultimate provision to us through Christ. 00:16:48.559 --> 00:16:48.879 Okay? 00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:52.399 Let me show you how this works and what I mean by this. 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:57.840 So the binding of Isaac and the crucifixion are two stories that parallel each other. 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:01.840 In both stories, there is a son that's going to be sacrificed. 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:04.400 And this son is a child of promise. 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:06.720 The son is a miraculous child. 00:17:07.119 --> 00:17:10.880 And then in both stories, the son is a willing sacrifice. 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:20.720 Scholars believe that Isaac was anywhere between the age of 16 and 30 when he was led up the mountain by his father Abraham. 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:26.720 And what that means is he was strong enough to overpower a hundred-plus year old man. 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:29.200 Right? 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:37.759 He trusted his father. 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:44.319 And in the same way, Jesus trusted his father. 00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:56.799 When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, this is before he's taken away to be crucified, we have a recording of a prayer that he said to God. 00:17:58.559 --> 00:18:08.559 And he says this, Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but your will be done. 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:11.599 It's Luke chapter 22, verse 42. 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:16.720 And so Jesus was a willing sacrifice. 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:24.079 And then in both stories, God provides that sacrifice. 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:31.119 With Abraham and Isaac, the son is led up the mountain, and then God provides the ram on behalf of the Son. 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:36.720 But in the crucifixion, Jesus is led up and he's crucified. 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:41.279 There's no ram given as a substitute for him. 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:49.440 And that's because Jesus is the sacrifice and the provision and the son in this story. 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:57.680 And so when we read the binding of Isaac, we're able to see the provision that God gives us through Christ. 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:00.400 Because we're able to see the parallels of it. 00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:20.559 And even more, this sacrifice, this provision that God gave to us through Christ, which is freedom from sin and death, and the possibility of us to be in relationship with God is received, that blessing is received by grace through faith. 00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:24.720 And that's the same way that Abraham received the blessing through faith. 00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:29.119 He was obedient to God and trusted that God would come through. 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:36.160 And also, like Abraham, we are asked to surrender to something. 00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:46.240 This is why Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew chapter 16: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:52.640 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 00:19:55.359 --> 00:20:03.440 God asks us to surrender, and we're able to step into this blessing of surrender by grace through faith. 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:11.440 And so I have a question that I'm going to pose at the end of the teaching today, but I want to bring it up now because I want you to chew on it. 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:15.200 And that is, what is God asking you to surrender? 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:19.359 What is God asking you to surrender this morning? 00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:25.119 Because we are asked to surrender something to God. 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:31.920 And again, this parallel between the two stories is really helpful to see God's ultimate provision to us. 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:34.799 It makes the text really applicable to our lives. 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:43.200 And it also helps us to learn from Abraham about what we do when God asks us to surrender something good in our lives. 00:20:43.759 --> 00:20:52.559 And so what we're going to do is take a look back at Abraham and see what we can learn from him about what we do when God asks us a hard request like this. 00:20:53.599 --> 00:21:01.759 So that brings us to our second question that I posed at the beginning of the teach, and that is why would Abraham agree to sacrifice his son? 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:12.480 And it can be easy when we read this text to think that Abraham was just mechanically obedient and without emotion. 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:21.039 Because remember, in in verse 2, you get God's request to sacrifice his son, and then verse 3, Abraham like immediately goes for it. 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:23.920 Wakes up early the next morning, all right, let's go. 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:30.319 And what's like we can read the text and think, oh wow, Abraham really just doesn't care. 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:32.000 Like what's going on here? 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:35.279 But I want to remind us that this is written in a narrative. 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:39.440 And what that means is we need to pay attention to the narrative techniques that are used. 00:21:39.599 --> 00:21:48.240 And we also need to remind ourselves that all the details are picked out with incredible intention to convey a certain purpose. 00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:50.720 Have you guys heard of Show Don't Tell? 00:21:50.880 --> 00:21:52.160 Do you know what that is? 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:53.279 Yeah? 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:56.400 Some filmmakers will know it in the room. 00:21:56.559 --> 00:22:03.680 But it is also a writing technique that uses actions and Details to convey information instead of directly stating it. 00:22:03.920 --> 00:22:09.599 Uses actions in details to convey information instead of just blanely stating it. 00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:12.480 That's exactly what's going on in the story here. 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:15.599 This is verse 3 of chapter 22. 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:21.039 It says, early the next morning, Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. 00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:25.200 Why do you think it says early the next morning? 00:22:27.119 --> 00:22:30.960 Why doesn't it say the next day or the next morning? 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:33.440 Why does it say early? 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:40.400 I don't know about you, but when I'm stressed out about something, I cannot sleep. 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:45.759 Could it be that the text wants us to ask the question, what's going on in Abraham's head? 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:52.079 Could it be that the text is just saying something that might feel bland at first, but it's suggesting something more? 00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:54.400 And this is not the first time it does it. 00:22:54.720 --> 00:23:07.599 In verse 4, after the three-day journey Abraham has with his two servants and his son, there's this dramatic moment where Abraham pauses and looks up and sees the place in the distance that God asked him to sacrifice his son. 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:10.480 It's really dramatic. 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:20.720 And just what is he thinking in his head? 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:26.559 The narrative wants us to fill in the blanks, be like, oh, is that hard? 00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:27.680 That was stressful. 00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:28.960 What's going on? 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:32.559 And then from here on out, we get more and more details in the story. 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:44.480 We get some dialogue between Abraham and his son, and then we get a bunch of actions as he's building the altar, as he's binding his son, as he's placing his son on the altar, as he's reaching out with his hand to grab the knife. 00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:46.880 He says he's about to kill his son. 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:54.640 And what the narrative is doing is it's creating tension to let us know that the obvious is indeed true. 00:23:55.279 --> 00:24:03.759 And that is that this was a tense, dramatic situation, and that surrender is not easy. 00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:07.200 We get this. 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:09.759 We don't want to surrender something, right? 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:20.960 But it's helpful for us to see this in the scripture because we're able to find good company with Abraham knowing that it wasn't easy. 00:24:21.200 --> 00:24:23.359 We can't know his thoughts. 00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:35.440 But what we can see is the text suggests there's a lot of tension and drama, and it says, hey, when God asks you to surrender something good, it can be really hard and it can be tense. 00:24:35.680 --> 00:24:37.599 And the Bible acknowledges that. 00:24:38.799 --> 00:24:42.559 And at the same time, Abraham was obedient, right? 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:44.960 He was obedient to God. 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:49.200 And so, again, why would Abraham agree to sacrifice his son? 00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:55.759 Well, because Abraham actually knew God and he was confident in his character. 00:24:57.519 --> 00:25:02.640 Remember, Abraham was 75 years old when God met him in Genesis 12. 00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:16.079 And then he had a quarter of a century with God, of God consistently reaffirming this promise to him and consistently blessing him, regardless of his obedience and disobedience. 00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:19.680 God was faithful and God was really, really good to Abraham. 00:25:21.519 --> 00:25:22.960 And so Abraham knew God. 00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:27.920 He'd seen him show up over and over again. 00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:30.880 Where has God shown up for you? 00:25:33.359 --> 00:25:35.359 Where has God shown up for you? 00:25:37.279 --> 00:25:50.480 As I was wrestling and trying to figure out what I wanted to share about how God has shown up for me, I was encouraged to share something that's maybe you might think of as a smaller story. 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:56.240 And that's because sometimes when we are asked this question of, like, oh, where's God shown up for you? 00:25:56.400 --> 00:26:00.960 We like to think about the big ways that He has shown up for us, the really dramatic things. 00:26:01.119 --> 00:26:05.119 And those are really, really good, and we need to hold on to those. 00:26:05.440 --> 00:26:11.759 But this morning, I just feel the prompting to give you guys a reminder that God consistently shows up for you. 00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:14.720 And the little things, too. 00:26:15.279 --> 00:26:19.680 It's not just the big things, He's consistently showing up for you. 00:26:21.039 --> 00:26:29.039 Earlier this week, I was at a couple of my friends' houses, actually, some friends here from the church, and I was helping them learn how to play the bass. 00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:38.880 And just as I was about to leave, one of my friend's wives came out and she said, Hey, can I pray for you? 00:26:40.160 --> 00:26:42.160 She knew that I was teaching this weekend. 00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:46.000 She probably thought that I was stressed about it. 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:53.759 But she didn't know that I was really anxious, like deeply anxious, to the point where I couldn't sleep. 00:26:54.079 --> 00:26:56.720 I was having nightmares, you know. 00:26:58.160 --> 00:27:03.759 And so my friend comes out and prays for me because of a prompting that she had from God. 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:07.039 And in that moment, the Lord showed up for me. 00:27:08.160 --> 00:27:13.200 He showed up for me in those 10 minutes in that prayer, and he carried me through his church body. 00:27:14.640 --> 00:27:18.559 And so the way that God shows up for you doesn't have to always look super dramatic. 00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:20.079 It can be these small things. 00:27:20.240 --> 00:27:23.599 And it's frequently through his word and through his church body. 00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:27.599 So again, where is God shown up for you then? 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:31.599 Where has God shown up for you? 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:40.720 Abraham had remembered where God showed up for him, and he was able to remind himself in God's character, and he was confident in it. 00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:47.359 But Abraham also sacrificed his son because he believed that God would provide what he promised. 00:27:47.920 --> 00:27:50.000 He believed in God's promise. 00:27:51.200 --> 00:28:06.559 The author of Hebrews says that Abraham was so convinced that God was going to carry through this promise that even if Abraham killed his son Isaac, God would raise him up from the dead just to keep his promise to him. 00:28:08.640 --> 00:28:16.000 And this explains those kind of confusing comments that we get in the text where Abraham's like, we will worship and then we will return back to you. 00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:22.319 Or when Abraham's talking to his son, he says, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering. 00:28:22.640 --> 00:28:32.079 Abraham didn't know that there's going to be a ram at the top, but he was convinced that God was going to come through and he was going to keep his promise. 00:28:34.559 --> 00:28:36.400 What has God promised you? 00:28:39.599 --> 00:28:43.920 This question might be a little bit harder to answer than how has God showed up for you. 00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:47.599 And it's probably because we don't want to be wrong about God's promises. 00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:53.680 Or maybe we don't believe that God will come through. 00:28:54.079 --> 00:29:03.599 And what I want to do this morning is remind you that in the Bible, we have actually a lot of promises that God gives to his believers, the followers of Jesus. 00:29:03.839 --> 00:29:08.319 And we need to be discerning on whether or not the promise is given to us. 00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:14.880 But this morning I'm going to read a couple of these promises to hopefully encourage you and remind you of what God has promised you. 00:29:15.759 --> 00:29:25.119 In the book of Matthew, after Jesus is crucified and comes back from the dead, he meets with his disciples. 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:33.119 And he says to them this all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:35.519 Think about that. 00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:40.319 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 00:29:41.279 --> 00:29:43.119 Guys, that's everything. 00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:44.720 Everything. 00:29:44.960 --> 00:29:48.000 All authority has been given to Jesus. 00:29:48.960 --> 00:29:58.640 Therefore, go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I commanded you. 00:29:58.799 --> 00:30:03.279 And then here's the promise he gives to his disciples, to his followers, to us. 00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:08.240 And surely I am with you always to the very ends of the age. 00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:14.640 I am with you always to the very ends of the age. 00:30:15.680 --> 00:30:25.519 Jesus, who has authority over all things, promises to be with you to the very ends of the age. 00:30:27.440 --> 00:30:29.759 And he doesn't just promise to be with us. 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:37.839 And he's coming back, and he's going to make a new heaven and a new earth. 00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:41.759 And it's going to be a wonderful, beautiful place. 00:30:42.799 --> 00:30:45.680 And the author of Revelation talks about this. 00:30:46.079 --> 00:30:53.359 And so if we take a look at Revelation 21, he talks about this place that God is going to make and what it's going to be like. 00:30:54.079 --> 00:31:02.559 The author says, And I hear a loud voice from the throne saying, Look, God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. 00:31:02.880 --> 00:31:06.000 He's talking about this new heavens, this new earth. 00:31:06.240 --> 00:31:10.640 They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 00:31:11.279 --> 00:31:12.559 And they get this, guys. 00:31:12.640 --> 00:31:14.720 This is the promise of the future. 00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:24.160 There will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain. 00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:30.000 No more death, mourning, crying, or pain. 00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:35.279 For the old order of things has passed away. 00:31:39.440 --> 00:31:42.480 Church, these are the promises God gives to us. 00:31:44.640 --> 00:31:51.920 And these are the things we get to cling to when he asks for us to surrender something good, to surrender something really hard. 00:31:55.279 --> 00:31:57.920 So what is God asking you to surrender this morning? 00:32:02.880 --> 00:32:08.960 A couple months passed after I found out that Brittany was asked out by someone else. 00:32:09.519 --> 00:32:12.960 And to be honest, I was pretty frustrated with God. 00:32:13.920 --> 00:32:18.160 Again, I thought I was given the green light, and I was like, everything, all the pieces fell into place. 00:32:18.240 --> 00:32:18.880 This is so good. 00:32:18.960 --> 00:32:20.480 What's going on, Lord? 00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:30.720 And he eventually helped me get into this posture of surrender over our relationship and over dating and what the future looked like for me in that. 00:32:32.960 --> 00:32:37.440 And little did I know, God was setting me up really well for a marriage. 00:32:37.680 --> 00:32:39.440 I was just trying to ask this girl out. 00:32:39.519 --> 00:32:41.200 I didn't know I was going to marry her. 00:32:41.519 --> 00:32:42.480 But God did. 00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:52.480 And he knew that if I was not going to surrender her, I was not going to hold that relationship with open hands, it probably wouldn't have ended well. 00:32:52.559 --> 00:32:54.079 It probably would have ended. 00:32:55.920 --> 00:33:02.000 And so God was asking me to surrender, not to bless, not to hurt me, but to bless me. 00:33:04.079 --> 00:33:06.400 And the same is true for you guys. 00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:10.319 God is asking you to surrender because he wants to provide for you. 00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:14.880 He wants to show you that he is a provider and he wants to bless you. 00:33:17.680 --> 00:33:21.519 And things don't always turn out the way we think. 00:33:22.160 --> 00:33:25.599 We may not get that job back, we may not get that relationship back. 00:33:26.000 --> 00:33:27.599 I don't know for you. 00:33:30.079 --> 00:33:35.279 But we can rest in confidence knowing that God will provide for you. 00:33:36.640 --> 00:33:40.960 And sometimes we can't even see what the best outcome is going to be. 00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:43.440 Actually, we we almost never can. 00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:44.960 God does, though. 00:33:45.200 --> 00:33:47.680 And he wants to bless you through surrender. 00:33:49.680 --> 00:34:04.720 And this morning, if it's the first time God's asking you to surrender, or maybe it's the first time that you're kind of willing to surrender to God, I want you to know that he wants you to step into those promises that I just read. 00:34:04.960 --> 00:34:06.880 He wants to provide for you. 00:34:07.599 --> 00:34:14.159 Scripture says that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, we believe in our heart, we are saved. 00:34:14.400 --> 00:34:16.719 We're able to step into this kingdom. 00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:21.280 And so if that is you this morning, we're going to pray in a minute here. 00:34:21.519 --> 00:34:26.320 I just want to encourage you to confess that Jesus is Lord. 00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:44.000 And for the rest of you, as you're thinking about what is God asking you to surrender this morning, I encourage you during this the final set today of worship, would you just open your hands in a posture of release? 00:34:44.719 --> 00:34:48.159 And would you speak out what God is having you surrender this morning? 00:34:48.400 --> 00:34:49.679 Would you just speak it out to him? 00:34:50.239 --> 00:34:53.360 Say, God, I surrender my job. 00:34:53.519 --> 00:34:55.519 God, I surrender this relationship. 00:34:55.840 --> 00:34:57.360 God, I surrender my health. 00:34:58.079 --> 00:35:00.880 Whatever it is, speak it out to him this morning. 00:35:02.480 --> 00:35:03.280 Let's pray. 00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:12.800 Jesus, thank you that you are a provider. 00:35:17.280 --> 00:35:19.679 Thank you for providing yourself for us. 00:35:23.840 --> 00:35:30.559 God, I just pray over those of us in the room who are maybe surrendering to you for the first time. 00:35:33.280 --> 00:35:35.199 God, I ask that you encourage them. 00:35:38.960 --> 00:35:41.679 I ask that you would bring people around them. 00:35:43.599 --> 00:35:50.320 And Lord, I pray over our church as we are holding something that we need to surrender to you this morning. 00:35:50.639 --> 00:35:53.199 God, we acknowledge that it is not easy. 00:35:56.079 --> 00:35:59.760 And we ask that you would remind us of the ways that you've shown up for us. 00:36:00.719 --> 00:36:04.000 And you would remind us of the promises that you've given to us. 00:36:05.199 --> 00:36:08.159 So that maybe we can just release these things to you, God. 00:36:10.239 --> 00:36:11.519 Lord, we love you. 00:36:12.159 --> 00:36:13.599 Lord, we trust you. 00:36:15.519 --> 00:36:23.039 We pray all these things in your son's name, the name above all authority of heaven and earth. 00:36:23.519 --> 00:36:24.159 Amen. 00:36:26.719 --> 00:36:29.039 We hope you are blessed by this message. 00:36:29.199 --> 00:36:33.599 Please subscribe to our podcast for access to every episode as they're uploaded. 00:36:33.760 --> 00:36:35.920 And hey, we'd love to connect with you. 00:36:36.079 --> 00:36:42.000 Take a next step by filling out our virtual connection card at awakeningchurch.com slash card.