Upload
nguyenbao
View
219
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Genesis, part 53 – The Sacrifice of Isaac, part 2: Full Obedience “How to Have a Massive Spiritual Life” #1 – Absolute surrender #2 – Full obedience #3 – Utter trust in God’s promises Here in Genesis 22, Abraham displays all three of these principles for us to see. “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And Abraham said, ‘Here I am,’” Genesis 22:1 “And God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac [18 years old], 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.’” Genesis 22:2
“Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac.” Genesis 22:3a “On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. Then 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.’” Genesis 22:4-‐5 “So Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife.” Genesis 22:6 “And when they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.” Genesis 22:9 “Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” Genesis 22:10 “But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, saying, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. ‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ He said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from Me your son, your only son.’” Genesis 22:11-‐12 “And Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.” Genesis 22:13
“Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham 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 from Me, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore . . . and through your offspring [the Lord Jesus Christ] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed Me.’” Genesis 22:15-‐18 Principle #1 – Abraham: “If You tell me to sacrifice my son, God, I will absolutely surrender to Your will.” Principle #2 – Abraham: “And not only will I surrender to Your will, but I will obey it fully and exactly as You tell me to.” So What? Obedience = “To do what we are told” Full obedience to God goes one step farther
• Not only do we do WHAT God tells us to do • But we do it EXACTLY HOW God tells us to do it – without “cutting corners” in any way
No one can have a massive spiritual life without a commitment to “FULL obedience to God.” [God to Joshua] “. . . be careful to do according to all the law that Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or the left . . .” Joshua 1:7 “Then Samuel said to Saul, ‘. . . hear now the word of the LORD.’” 1 Samuel 15:1 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel . . . on the way while Israel was coming up from Egypt. Now go and strike the Amalekites and utterly destroy all that they have . . . put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” 1 Samuel 15:2-‐3 This was an act of divine judgment! “Remember what the Amalekites did to you [Israelites] when you came out of Egypt, how they attacked among you all the stragglers at the rear – the faint and the weary – and did not fear God.” Deuteronomy 25:17-‐18 “Therefore, it shall come to pass, that when the LORD gives you rest from all your enemies in the land that the LORD is giving you – you shall blot out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven; you must not forget.” Deuteronomy 25:19 God didn’t just pick out some random people group to annihilate! As the Israelites were marching across the Sinai, the Amalekites did a despicable thing: they preyed on the weak/sick/young/elderly/disabled like a bunch of merciless hyenas! “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the Amalekites from under heaven.’” Exodus 17:14 The task of fulfilling this divine judgment fell on King Saul.
C.S. Lewis Institute “Loving God or Cosmic Tyrant?” by Dr. Peter Williams http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Loving_God_or_Cosmic_Tyrant_Peter_Williams
• Saul musters his army and attacks the Amalekites – just as God ordered. • Saul totally destroys their army – just as God ordered. • Saul burns their city – just as God ordered.
“And he [Saul] captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive . . .” 1 Samuel 15:8 “And Saul spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the lambs and all that was good . . .” 1 Samuel 15:9 “And Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul . . . And Saul said to him, ‘Blessed are you of the LORD. I have carried out the command of the LORD.” 1 Samuel 15:12-‐13 “But Samuel said, ‘What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of oxen that I hear?’” 1 Samuel 15:14 “The people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD our God.” 1 Samuel 15:15 “And Samuel said, ‘Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice!’” 1 Samuel 15:22 “Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.” 1 Samuel 15:23 Question: “How important is ‘full obedience’ to God?” Answer: So important that He revoked Saul’s kingship over it!” Above all else, God wants FULL obedience.
• Saul gave God HALF obedience • Which – as far as God is concerned – is the same as DIS-‐obedience
A.W. Tozer “Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late? And how little revival has resulted?” “Considering the volume of prayer that is ascending these days, rivers of revival should be flowing.” “That no such results are in evidence should not discourage us. Rather, it should stir us to find out why our prayers are not being answered.” “I believe that our problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying – and it simply will not work.” “If you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering before the altar and go [Where? To see your brother]; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” Matthew 5:23-‐24 “Lon, do you really want to be the person who quenches what the Holy Spirit is doing for good at McLean Bible Church by your disobedience to Me?”
When it comes to obeying God, our sinful human nature is always looking for ways to “cut the corners” – because FULL obedience to God is hard and demanding. But we cannot build a massive spiritual life on any other foundation than full obedience. If we want massive spiritual lives, then FULL obedience to God is where we must set the bar. When we fall short, we can confess and embrace God’s forgiveness – but we must never lower the bar.