Genesis 22:1-14
New King James Version
Abraham’s Faith Confirmed
22 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
Then He said, “Take now 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 and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 Then, on the third day, Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place far off. And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the [a]lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”
6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, and said, “My father!”
And he said, “Here I am, my son.”
Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the [b]lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac, his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”
So he said, “Here I am.”
12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of the place “Jehovah Jireh,”
The Lord Will Provide,” as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”.
Abraham prophesied and said God would provide a lamb for Isaac, and he did just that.
This thought I’m preaching about is a place that Hell hates and God loves.
I’ve made up my mind, “I will not turn back.” How many times have we turned back instead of following it through?
Abraham had a made-up mind: “This scares me with this kind of faith.” When Abraham put God’s will above his son’s life, this scares me.
When Abraham made up his mind, he never turned back.
It’s so easy to turn back because we don’t have a made-up mind.
But how do I make up my mind so that I will not turn back? It’s not that you just get tired of turning back.
Is God right? Or are you right? Is it God’s will? Or your will?
When God allows the wind to come, he’s changing your direction.
When God asks for the impossible, he’s rewriting your common sense.
Some people only obey God when it is “what I call situational obedience.”.
When it works for their benefit, in their eyes.
I have a pretty tough question to ask: ARE YOU READY?
When was the last time you had a made-up mind for Jesus? You were going to do whatever he said, no matter what it cost us?
The Bible is the revealed will of God! This we do because it is God’s will.
The only way to deal with a mind that is not made up is to deal with your own will.
“Self-life” will keep you from the will of God. Praying to the Spirit will help you get your mind made up.
Repent of not doing God’s will; don’t make decisions about life without seeking God.
There is a word I want to use here that is called “rutter force.” A great ship is turned and controlled by a rudder.
The force of the rudder guides a ship. God uses the wind to direct his children; God allows the situations of life to get your attention.
Are you feeling the rudder right now? Has God been trying to change your direction? Have you been fighting God?
John, 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
Will you be filled with the power of God? He must increase. Notice he didn’t say I must decrease, then he must increase.
The Spirit of God inspired John to say, “He must increase, and I must decrease.
I ask this church: Are you sure you have made up your mind? Jesus must increase, and we must decrease.
We have asked God to give us a harvest of souls. God is honoring this prayer. He is increasing, so it is only right that we decrease.
He deserves the glory, he deserves the honor. He must increase, and I must get out of the way.