Faith In The Assignments
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
What do we think of faith these days? We know its the substance of this hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But what do we really think about it? We think of the glorification and of all the stories that that tend to show how we can overcome adversity or how we can do great things thru Christ that strengthens us. I got faith to buy this house, faith to buy this car, faith to
Thats what we think when we think about faith. We rejoice when God talks talks to us about the future. Sometimes He gives us glimpses, sometimes He just wants us to move, because He asked us to move. But we always have in our mind a vision that God must have something better for me. Thats what we see when we talk about faith.
There is a story in Genesis about a man named Abraham who was the father of faith. God credited righteousness to him because he had faith. Abraham believed God. That means he first had to hear God, to be able to believe. God told Abraham, “Go from your country and your people and your fathers house to the land I will show you”. He asked Abraham to leave everything that was familiar to him and just follow my directions while you are on your way. I dont know if I woulda made it. When I need to go somewhere, I gotta look at the map and see where the place is, so that I can map out exactly how to get there. Abraham did it just because God told him to. Abraham then had a son in his old age named Isaac. Abraham was 100 years old. Yes, there is a story about Abraham, but tonight, I want to talk about his son Isaac. As we go thru our scripture listen to the part that Isaac has.
Scripture:
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded 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.
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
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.”
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,
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?”
Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
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.
Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “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.”
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.
Title, Prayer:
Faith in the Assignments
Application:
As I was studying this scripture, I noticed something that seem odd. I have proly read this story hundreds of times. I would like to think I took note of it before but you now how God can show you something new in the same scripture you have read before. Did you notice? Abraham’s son Isaac didn’t seem to put up a fight. Making sacrifices were common place and I am sure Isaac knew what was supposed to happen. He even asked, “The fire and wood are here, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Look at your neighbor and say have faith in your assignment.
You see we always talk about Abraham.
But today I want to call out the faith of his son Isaac. The bible doesn't say specifically if Isaac resisted or not. But there was not mention of Isaac running away, nothing about him fighting his father back. Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born. I am thinking he proly couldve took him.
But that was Isaac’s assignment. He was the one that had to be put in a position were he was going to be sacrificed.
Isaac was a precursor to Christ.
Both fulfilled promises.
Both were the only son of their father
Both had a miraculous birth.
Both had a conception and birth that was pre-announced.
Both were named before their birth.
Both carried wood on their backs as they marched toward their death.
Both obeyed their fathers in quiet determination.
How many of us have enough faith that we go along with our assignment even when it seems we are being served up?! Lord why me? Why I gotta be the one on the chopping block? Why do I have to be the one thrown into the lions den? Why is it i’m the one that ends up having to walk thru the fire?
But here is what I want us to see:
Exegesis:
God will determine how to use us.
We always ask God to use us, but we dont wanna accept the hard assignments. Lord, I just wanna go down and feed the homeless a couple days. Ima go fill up the blessing box today! No, when God assigns the tough stuff, People try to fight back and then end up loosing the blessing that is attached the assignment.
Benediction:
God use me, but strengthen me for the hard assignments.