Abraham Tested (Hebrews 11:17-19 Jeff Kliewer)

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Sermon Notes: http://notes.cornerstonesj.org Abraham Tested

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Will you stand with me? My soul makes us boast in the
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Lord. Let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, taste and see that the
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Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Let's sing together.
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And he answered me and delivered me.
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Our radiance, they'll never be ashamed. This poor man heard me and saved me.
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He'll deliver, magnify the
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Lord. Come exalt his name together.
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Glorify, exalt his name forever.
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Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.
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Blessed, all you say, he'll give you and magnify.
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Come exalt his name together. Let us bless the
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Lord every day and every night. Never -ending praise that our voices rise to the
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Lord. Let us bless the Lord every day and every night.
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Let us bless the
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Lord every day and every night. Never -ending praise, may our voices rise.
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Magnify the Lord with me.
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Come exalt His name together.
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Glorify the Lord with me.
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Come exalt His name forever. Many Psalms are written by David with that same worship to the
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Lord. Psalm 34, like we sang, and Psalm 27, it says, the
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Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life.
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Whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
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Let's continue to sing. You hear me when
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I sing a burning song. The darkness fears the night. It cannot hide the light.
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Whom shall I fear? You crush the enemy.
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Underneath my feet, you are my sword and shield.
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Though troubles linger still, whom shall
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I fear? I know who goes before me.
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I know who stands behind. The God of angel armies is always by my side.
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The one who reigns forever, he is a friend of mine.
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The God of angel armies is always by my side.
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My strength is in your name. For you alone can save.
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You will deliver me. Yours is the victory.
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Whom shall I fear? Whom shall
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I fear? I know who goes before me.
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I know who stands behind. The God of angel armies is always by my side.
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The one who reigns forever, he is a friend of mine.
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The God of angel armies is always by my side.
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And nothing formed against me shall stand.
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You hold the whole world in your hand. I'm holding on to your promises.
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You are faithful. You are faithful.
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And nothing formed against me shall stand.
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You hold the whole world in your hand. I'm holding on to your promises.
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You are faithful. You are faithful.
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You are faithful. I know who goes before me.
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I know who stands behind. The God of angel armies is always by my side.
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The one who reigns forever, he is a friend of mine.
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The God of angel armies is always by my side.
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I know who goes before me. I know who stands behind.
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The God of angel armies is always by my side.
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The one who reigns forever, he is a friend of mine.
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The God of angel armies is always by my side.
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The God of angel armies is always by my side.
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Lord, we come before you. You are the strength. You are the protector.
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You are the one we lean to. Because you are faithful and you will take care of us. We give you all of our fears and anxieties.
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All the things that are happening in our world and in our country. We want to give them to you.
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We want to lean on you for our peace. As David did throughout the Psalms.
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You are faithful, Lord. Great is thy faithfulness,
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O God my Father. There is no shadow of turning with thee.
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Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not.
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As thou hast been, thou forever will be.
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Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness.
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Mercies I see. All I have needed, thy hand hath provided.
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Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.
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Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth.
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Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
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Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.
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Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.
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Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness.
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Morning by morning new mercies
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I see. All I have needed, thy hand hath provided.
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Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.
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You may be seated. There's just something about those hymns, isn't there?
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Especially when you're singing about faithfulness. That he's been faithful to generations and generations before us.
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And he will always be. Let's pray. So, Father, as we come here this morning, our prayer is that you would help us to have faith.
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We pray that those of us who are going through trials and are being tested, that our faith would be found to be pure gold.
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And you would refine our faith, strengthen our faith. We think of the man who came to Jesus wanting his child to be healed.
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And Jesus, you asked him, do you believe? He said, I believe.
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Help my unbelief. That's us this morning, Lord. We believe this
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Bible. We believe your word. Help our unbelief. Let us leave here stronger in your word, more convicted, more sure, more steadfast.
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Even so, in the trials, Lord. We thank you for your word to us this morning.
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In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, it is good to be back. It has been, really, three weeks since I was in the pulpit.
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Because two others filled in. So, normally I'll start preparing a sermon on Monday, the day after I preach.
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And the first day after my vacation, to be honest with you, I was glad to not be writing a sermon.
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I was in Florida taking a deep breath and just enjoying a little bit of time off.
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But by the end of that week, I was ready to go. And so, all of the second week, I was getting antsy to preach.
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I'm taking notes. I'm studying. But I'm still in Florida. There's no one to preach to but the palm trees.
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So, I just kept taking more notes and got more and more thoughts. And here I am, and I've been preparing for three weeks.
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So, prepare to drink from a fire hose. I think my notes are double the length they normally are.
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But I have been prayerful this morning about cutting the unnecessary. But I will try to be brief.
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But the point is, we love God's Word. So, you all want to drink from a fire hose, right? All right, let's do that.
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Let's go to God's Word. Let's begin, first of all, with a story, like I normally do.
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Rob mentioned that there are many things going on around the world. From Australia and South Africa with the riots.
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The Cuban uprising and the pastors who were thrown in jail. The English evangelist who's thrown in prison for preaching nothing but the
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Word of God, unadulterated. In Canada, 45 churches burned. Well, they are also arresting pastors for keeping their churches open despite the government lockdowns.
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We all prayed here for James Coates when he was locked up. And by God's grace, he was delivered.
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Another one who was thrown in prison was named Tim Stevens. Pastor of a
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Baptist church in Alberta. He refused to stop preaching the gospel.
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Administering the communion and baptizing. Fellowshiping in the assembly, according to Hebrews 10 .25.
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He was obeying the Lord and therefore needing to disobey what their government said.
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In January, they began to fine him. At first, it was $1 ,200. And by the end of the fines, it was half a million dollars for every
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Sunday. So, I can only imagine the kind of fee that church is facing. Hopefully, the court would throw that out.
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But in June, they threw him in prison. And he was locked up for, I think, 18 days.
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Well, imagine being the father of young children. And making a decision like that when it would have been a lot easier just to preach online.
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A lot easier to just stay home with your family. And his wife took to Facebook to say these things.
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One thing that has come up, both in my own mind and in some of the questions
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I've received. Is how Tim's actions served to shepherd his family and church.
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Some have argued that he is actually being unfaithful. Since he's now prevented from being with any of us.
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I've wrestled with this. How is this taking care of us? So, pause.
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He's in jail. How is he shepherding his family? How is this shepherding us?
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This, of course, is not a situation we would wish upon anybody. But what it shows to me, my children, and our church family.
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Is that Christ is worthy of full devotion. She goes on to say, the throne in Tim's heart doesn't belong to us.
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It belongs to Jesus. In regular times, that would mean that he daily lays down his life for us.
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Since that's what God calls him to do. But today, it means we're apart for a time.
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And that's what we need most. We need to be exhorted to dethrone the idols in our own hearts.
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Health, wealth, security, family, reputation, entertainment, politics.
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So many idols. To make way for the true king. We need to understand that compromising obedience to Christ.
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A .K .A. disobedience. For anything else shows where our heart and allegiance truly are.
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Tim is caring for us. By giving us what we need most. To see
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Christ as worthy of all. In the little things and the big things. And it is
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God who works in this. To his glory alone. I love the words of Raquel Stephens.
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She's trusting that when Tim makes a sacrifice and takes what's most dear to him.
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And is willing to even lay that on the altar. He proclaims that Christ is
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Lord over all. And this, brothers and sisters, is the meaning of our passage this morning.
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Hebrews 11, 17 -19. Is the story of Abraham. Laying down his most beloved.
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His own son, Isaac. On the altar. Let's turn to Hebrews 11. There's a little bit of a rumble back here, guys, in the back.
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If you can. I don't know if you can. Can you guys hear that out there? Or is that just me? Okay. You hear it?
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All right. So I don't know if you can tweak that. So the big idea here is that God will put our faith to the test.
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And Abraham had the ultimate test of faith. It says.
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Well, first of all, let's get into Hebrews 11 from the first verse. Before we get into the 17th. Just to remind ourselves of some of the major ideas here.
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Faith. The assurance of things hoped for. Certainty of things not seen. Oh, that's better. Thank you. And then we have examples.
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And the first example is us. Look at verse 3. By faith we.
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You will see this refrain again and again in Hebrews 11. By faith. By faith we.
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And we are the first ones mentioned. Because all of us, no matter who reads the book of Hebrews.
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Has the revelation of God. In the things that they can see. We can see the universe.
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And according to Psalm 19. The universe. The world pours forth speech. The stars above.
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The sun in the sky. It communicates that there is a God. Who made everything. And that's the beginning point of faith.
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We all have access to that general revelation. Even though some people will stifle that revelation.
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And pretend that they don't see it. There's a. Just thinking of this now.
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A guy I like named Doug Wilson. Who debated with Christopher Hitchens. You guys know who that is?
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He's the atheist debater. And he's just really antagonistic. Well, he's passed away now. But Doug Wilson said two things about Christopher Hitchens.
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He said, I know two things about him. One. He does not believe in God.
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He's an atheist. And two. He hates God. Meaning there's some contradiction there.
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He's on a rampage against a God he supposedly doesn't believe in. The point is he suppresses truth.
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All of creation. The fact that there are visible things to see. He testified to the fact that there's a
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God who made all that is. That's the beginning of faith. That's the first example. The second, of course, is
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Abel. Verse four. He's a picture of justification. Justification.
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Because he believed God. And offered the sacrifice that God had commanded.
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Which, of course, was a blood sacrifice. In the garden. As God killed an animal and made a covering for sin.
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To cover the shame of Adam and Eve. So Abel killed an animal. And offered that sacrifice.
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And God was pleased with it. Third, in verse five. Who's next? Come on.
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Feedback. Enoch. Right. And this is an example of sanctification. He walked with God.
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And was no more. For God took him up. Next, in verse seven, we have Noah. And Noah was one who had so much faith that even when he was persecuted.
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He was ridiculed. By believing the promise rather than capitulating.
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He condemned the world. And was rewarded. In verse seven. And that brings us now to Abraham.
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But we've already studied Abraham. From verses eight to 16. We learned about two episodes of his faith.
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The first is in Genesis 12. One to three. Where he's told to leave everything that he knew.
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His family. His father's house. And go to the promised land. And just on that promise.
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He didn't have a sandals commercial. With beautiful white beaches.
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And the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. He didn't see that. He was just told to go to a land that I'll show you later.
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And in faith he took God at his word and he went. And then it says in verse nine.
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By faith he, again Abraham. Another example. Continues to wait. Living in tents like a sojourner.
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For 25 years until God comes. In Genesis 17. And reaffirms the promise.
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And of course we know he laughs and Sarah laughs. But God tells him your descendants will be like.
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The sand on the sea. Sarah in verse 11 has like faith. And that brings us to verse 17.
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Today we're studying 17 to 19. By faith Abraham. When he was tested.
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Offered up Isaac. And he who had received the promises. Was in the act of offering up his only son.
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Of whom it was said. Through Isaac shall your offspring be named. He considered that God was able.
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Even to raise him from the dead. From which figuratively speaking. He did receive him back.
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This I think is the preeminent example of faith. To offer his most beloved.
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Isaac. On the altar. In obedience to God's word. Incredible picture of faith.
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Let's look at some of the terms here. It says in verse 17. By faith Abraham.
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When he was tested. That language comes from Genesis 22.
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That God tested Abraham. And this test is not uncommon.
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For the believer. In fact it's normative. Christians.
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Do not think it's strange. When you suffer various trials. When adversity comes into your life.
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It's not because you have failed to believe the health and wealth gospel. And you've lacked the positive confessionalism.
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To just make everything rosy all the time. That's not the reason. Trials are tests.
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That come from God. God has purposes in allowing. Difficult things to come into our lives.
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And I can't imagine anything more difficult than being told by God. To sacrifice my child.
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This is what he's told. He's tested by this command. The most faithful.
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Believers. Are often tested with the most difficult trials. Noah was tested with 120 years of ridicule.
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And ship building when he had never seen rain. Only later to be rewarded. Job. Was tested because of his faith.
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By the stripping away of everything that he had. Including his 10 children. Only to later be rewarded.
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For his faithfulness to God. David as we heard about earlier today. Was on the run from Saul.
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Everything. Stripped from him. Until he was exalted to become king. Over all of Israel.
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And this pattern goes throughout the scriptures. You think of Esther. When her people were being threatened.
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Took her own life on the line. Passing the test. She goes to the king. Even though she wasn't invited.
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Which could have very well cost her her life. And she said, if I perish, I perish. And so the people were saved.
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But think also of Mordecai. In that situation. To Mordecai. Esther was like.
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A daughter in the faith. He's the one that raised her. This was his star. Esther.
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He loved her and cared for her. And yet he told her. You go to the king.
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Knowing full well. That this could cost her. Her life. He laid her down on the altar of that sacrifice.
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Because he knew. That this was God's will. For such a time as this. And if she didn't go.
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God would have delivered them some other way. And yet he was willing to lay her down. Daniel and the lions then.
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Only to give glory to God. As he comes forth. And all of the empire recognizes.
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That his God is different. Than the gods of the nations. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. They go through the test of a fiery furnace.
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Only to be rewarded. And bring glory to God. In the new testament. The same story is told.
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The apostles are commanded. Not to speak in this name. And remember. These are the apostles who just saw their lord crucified.
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Imagine the threat of a cross. Hanging over your head. And yet you go. You pass the test.
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And then are protected. Through the preaching of the word. And rewarded with this amazing time of revival.
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Paul. Stoned and left for dead. At Lystra. Yet passing that test.
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He goes back to Lystra to preach the word. The church is planted. And everywhere he goes.
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The gospel is established. Through tests. Through beatings and shipwreck.
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Sleepless nights and hunger. Betrayal. From his own countrymen. The tests of the faith.
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Are not extraordinary. They are ordinary. Expect them. Do not think it strange when you suffer various trials.
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God has a purpose in these tests. And what is that purpose? It is to bring glory to his name.
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That through the display. Of your faith. Those enemies of the gospel.
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Will be put to shame. And the value of Christ. Over and above everything.
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Will be magnified. When they see us suffer. And yet hold to our testimony.
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We show. That Christ is more valuable. Than anything in this world. He is glorified in these tests.
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And it changes us. This is how God. According to James 1 verse 3. Produces steadfastness in us.
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We are sanctified. When we are tested. So it is not that God. Is needing to discover something about us.
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Like he is putting you to the test. And if you pass. Then he will know.
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He can welcome you into the kingdom. It was his grace. That came to you.
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And quickened you. In the first place. He does not need to learn anything about you. And you can't earn anything from him.
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By passing the test. Rather the test is meant to strengthen you. When I was in seminary.
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We had some wonderful professors. One was Howard Hendricks. And another was Dwight Pentecost.
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Pentecost wrote things to come. This thick volume on eschatology. I love that book. I had read it before seminary.
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And I just really wanted to take eschatology from Pentecost. However. I already took eschatology from another professor.
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When I was in Florida. But Dallas seminary. Offered some other option. You could take the class.
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By audit. Who knows what it is to audit a class. When you audit a class.
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You go and you listen to the professor. You get the chance to be there. And learn. But you never take a test.
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Sounds pretty sweet. Right? However. If you enter with 80 credit hours.
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You exit with. 80 credit hours. Here's the catch. You don't get the reward.
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Listen. In the Christian life. There is no auditing this class.
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There is always a test. And the test is good. And it's meaningful. And it accomplishes the purpose for which it is sent.
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So some of you are going through tests. And sometimes you're overwhelmed by them. Right? But know that God has a purpose.
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In these tests. They're ordinary. They're a part of the Christian life. Next. Look at verse 17.
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By faith Abraham when he was tested. Offered up Isaac.
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And he who had received the promises. Was in the act of offering up. His only son.
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Of whom it was said. Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.
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Notice. What. God asks. Abraham to offer up.
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The son he loves. Back in Genesis 22. Where this story is taken from.
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Turn with me there. We're going to go back and forth. Between Genesis 22. And the commentary on that chapter.
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Which is what we're reading today. Notice. It says in verse 2.
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God says to Abraham. Take your son. Your only son. Now is.
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Isaac the only son of Abraham. By the flesh. No. Ishmael has already been born.
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But he is the unique son. Of promise. Through whom the promise is made.
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In Genesis 21. That through Isaac. Your offspring shall be named. But notice this next sentence here.
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In Genesis 22 verse 2. Whom. You. Love. That Hebrew word for love.
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Is appearing right here. For the first time in the Bible. Why did
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God wait. Until this moment. To introduce that word. Love. It is the same reason.
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That in Matthew. Mark. Luke. The synoptic gospels. The first time we see the word love.
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Is with reference to Jesus. At his baptism. This is my son.
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Says the father. Whom I love. And then the first time love.
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Appears in John. Will be a verse that's familiar to you. John 3 .16. For God so.
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Loved the world. That he gave his one and only son. That whoever believes in him.
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Will not perish but have everlasting life. The point is this. The relationship between Abraham.
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And Isaac. Parallels the relationship between. God the father and God the son.
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The father son love. That Trinitarian love that existed. Before anything else did.
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Which is why we can say. That God is love by the way. Because when nothing else was. Father son and spirit existed.
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In perfect love. That love is eternal. This is love. Not that we love
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God. But that he loved us. And gave his son as a propitiation for our sin.
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And so back now to. Hebrews 11. Verse 17. Notice the emphasis here.
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Offered up Isaac. Recognize. This is the command.
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To offer the one he loves. The son whom you love.
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The beloved son of promise. Abraham held nothing. More valuable than Isaac. He was not only his first born.
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I mean his son of promise. But everything that came. Through Abraham according to.
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Genesis 12. 1 -3 was resting on his shoulders. The promise of.
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A people. Like the sand of the sea. Like the stars of the sky. It had to come through Isaac.
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All of that rested on him. And God tells him to give that up. From this.
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I deduce. That there is nothing. That you or I have. That God does not have right over.
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He owns it all. And when the rich young ruler. Came to Jesus.
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He thought he was righteous. And he said. What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said.
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You know the commandments. And in his pride. The rich young ruler thought.
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Oh yeah I've kept all of those. Yeah right. But Jesus said. Okay one thing you still lack.
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Go sell everything that you have. Give it to the poor. And come follow me.
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And the rich young ruler. Refused to do that. Because he was very rich. And he held his possessions.
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Dear to him and he was unwilling. To give it all away. For Christ. And yet Christ made that demand.
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You must take up your cross. And follow him. Christ deserves.
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Not just. A little bit of our devotion. Not just the best part.
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He deserves everything. That we are. He's lord of it all.
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In Matthew 6 .33. He tells us. Seek first the kingdom of God. And his righteousness.
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And everything else will be given to you. Meaning all that you need. Food and clothing.
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All that you need to survive. And to live and to bring him glory. To accomplish your purpose.
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That he made you for. All of that is wound up in him. But first. You must give yourself to him.
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All of you. The navy seals. Provide for us a good illustration.
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Of what this looks like. How do you become a seal? It's weeks and weeks of training. But one week.
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Hell week. I think they only sleep a few hours. Throughout the course of the week. And the navy seal.
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Who led the 2011. Raid of Osama Bin Laden's compound.
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Gave us some insight. Into what it takes. To be a seal. Here's what he said.
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It takes to be a seal. That you don't quit. In an interview.
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Bill McRaven. Who led this raid. Said the one thing.
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That defines everybody. That goes through seal training. Is that they didn't ring the bell.
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As we say. They didn't quit. And that's really what you're trying to find.
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In the young seal students. Because in the course of your career. You're going to be cold. Wet.
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Miserable. You're going to kind of fail. Often. As a result of bad missions.
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Bad training. But what makes a seal. Is that you never rang the bell. You never quit.
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In this Christian life. You will be cold. You will be miserable. Yet joyful in your misery.
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You will endure. Many hardships. But this is what you must never do.
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Crawl down from the altar. You are a living sacrifice. Romans 12.
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Presented to God. You must never ring that bell. Your life must always be his.
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No matter what you endure. What trials he puts before you. God asked the ultimate thing.
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Of Abraham. Others endured. We talked about Job and losing his kids.
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But it was the house that fell on his family. Abraham's trial was different.
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For God told him. You are to raise your own hand. And slay your son.
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And offer him as a burnt offering on the altar. It is the greatest trial ever given to a mere mortal.
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And yet even in that. Abraham sets for us an example of obedience. Right away.
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He considered. And according to the language of Genesis 22. The moment he heard he was obeying.
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Hold nothing back. Third we move on now. To the promises.
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Of God. Look at verse 17. It says by faith Abraham when he was tested.
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We talked about how these tests are normal and part of the Christian life. Offered up Isaac. That means you've got to give everything.
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Even what's most dear to you. Next it says. He who had received the promises.
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Was in the act. Of offering up his only son. Of whom it was said through Isaac.
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Shall your offspring be named. Notice that faith is taking
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God at his word. And I want to put your minds at ease over a question here. What Abraham.
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Was called to do can never be repeated again. Can never be repeated.
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Abraham was receiving special revelation from God. As one of the authors of scripture.
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Direct revelation from God. We do not receive special revelation of that nature.
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In Ephesians 2 .20 we learn that the apostles and prophets are the foundation of the church.
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When the last apostle died. There will be no more books of scripture given.
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No direct special revelation. Now we can have promptings from the Holy Spirit that lead us and give us feelings and prompt us to do things.
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But it is never a special revelation to do something which would contradict a command. Or in any way compete with the direct revelation of scripture.
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Make sense? So we'll never have this kind of trial laid upon our shoulders.
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That was for Abraham to endure. But notice what we do have. His great and precious promises.
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Look at 2 Peter 1, 3 and 4 in your notes. Or you can be real fast with your fingers. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.
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Through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises.
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Translation. We have everything we need in this book. All things for life and godliness.
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It has been given. It's complete. The word of God. The promises of God on which we stand are all that we need.
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Faith means taking this word from God and standing upon it. It introduces a problem here though for my last point in verse 19.
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How is it that a promise of God seemingly contradicts a command of God?
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Consider. Through whom did the promise come? Isaac.
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God said in Genesis 21, 12. Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.
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Back in Genesis 22 verse 2. Here's the command. Take Isaac.
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The son whom you love. And kill him. And so it appears there's a contradiction.
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The blessing comes through this son and him only. Ishmael will not do. No other son of Keturah or any other son will do.
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It's Isaac. Now kill him. How do we put these two things together?
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Here's what modern Christians do in our day and age. We pick and choose the ones that we like.
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And we say well look, hey there's really good people on this side that take it this way. And there's other people who take it that way.
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So I'm going to go with this and either way you go is fine. Nowadays, Christians pick and choose scriptures according to what sounds right to them.
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That is not how Abraham reasoned. Look at verse 19.
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And I think this is the most amazing part of this passage of scripture. It gives us a glimpse into the mind of faith and how the mind of faith approaches scripture.
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It says in verse 19, he considered. Now I've written down the
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Greek here for considered. Logis amenos. From logos as a root, which means rationality or reason.
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It's to think or to consider, to count, to reason, to decide, to conclude.
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You see what's happening here? He's thinking about how one thing is promised, another thing is commanded, and rather than throwing one away and keeping the other, he's reasoning how in a systematic theology these things do fit together because let
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God be true and every man a liar. What does he come to in verse 19? He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead.
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From which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. You see how
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Abraham thinks? Even if I slay my son, even if I burn my son to ashes,
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God will raise him from the dead. God can do all things, and he reconciled those things in his mind.
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In fact, the author of Hebrews here is picking that up from Genesis 22 because in Genesis 22,
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Abraham tells the young men, wait here while I and Isaac go to the mountain and we will come back to you.
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Not I will come back to you, but we will come back to you. Abraham was reasoning that God would raise
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Isaac from the dead. Isn't that amazing? It is awesome. His view of Scripture is the highest view of Scripture I can imagine.
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He takes everything revealed as true. Deuteronomy 29, 29. The secret things belong to the
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Lord our God. There are some mysteries. In fact, Abraham didn't quite figure it all out, did he?
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He thought he would be raised from the dead, but figuratively speaking, he did come back from the dead by not actually having to die because he was the type of Christ.
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That's how it actually worked out. But his view of Scripture held
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God's word above God's name. He held the highest view of this word and he refused to compromise on any point.
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That was his systematizing of this theology. Notice though, halfway through verse 19, he's reasoning like this.
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He doesn't see the whole picture yet. Here we are, looking back on this episode.
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This happened 2 ,000 B .C., so we're 4 ,000 years removed and yet it's still speaking.
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How powerful is God's word? It's speaking to us, and what does it say? Figuratively speaking, it still speaks as a figure.
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That Greek word is parabolos. What does that sound like? Parable. It's a parable.
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It's a type. It's a shadow. It speaks to something bigger, so figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
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Turn with me, and we're for the last time, to Genesis 22. This figure is one of the great grounds of our faith.
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If there's anybody here this morning, maybe you've just been told by parents that Jesus is the son of God.
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Maybe you've heard it, maybe you're listening online, and you're weighing these things. You don't know. How do I know that this is actually true?
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Genesis 22 is the ground on which you can stand.
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You see, the gospel, according to 1 Corinthians 15, that Christ was crucified, that he was buried, that he rose from the dead, is according to the scriptures
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God has implanted ahead of time. Scripture, the writings, which reveal the son of God.
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Look at Genesis 22 for a few of these things. After these things,
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God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham, and he said, here
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I am. He said, take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love.
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We talked about that word love, the prized one, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which
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I shall tell you. Later I want you to go through and read the story.
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Can everybody do that? Even kids, can you read this story before you go to bed tonight? Genesis 22. Here's what you're going to find.
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It is the story of a father and a son. Abraham and Isaac.
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But it speaks to God the father and Jesus the son. And you'll find no story like this anywhere in the
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Bible. Because the drastic and truly incredible point of this story is that the father is saying to the son, come with me.
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Lay down your life. My will is to kill you. Do you hear the force of that?
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This is gospel truth. And this is love. Not that we love
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God, but that he loved us and gave his son as a propitiation for our sins. 1
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John 4 .10. What is a propitiation for sin? It is a sacrifice.
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It is an atonement. It is a bloody offering on an altar by which
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God sees that sacrifice and no longer holds the guilty accountable.
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He credits righteousness to the one who offers that sacrifice because his wrath is satisfied in the death of that substitute.
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Abraham was told to kill Isaac because the father gave the son.
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Who killed Jesus Christ? Yes, Roman soldiers, Pontius Pilate, Herod, the
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Jews, the Greeks, all of us, but ultimately it was the father. It pleased the father to crush him.
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The father gave the son as an atoning sacrifice. 1 John 2 .2.
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That's the first thing. A father offering the son. The second thing, it's his one and only son.
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Even though in the flesh there is an Ishmael, this is the unique one who's different, the son of promise.
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Jesus is that only begotten, the monogamous, the only unique one of the father. Third, the son goes with the father and must carry the wood of his sacrifice.
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Abraham laid on Isaac the wood, and he said, well, where is the animal?
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On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided, son. Speaking to the mountain, just like Jesus hefted the cross and carried it up that mountain,
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Isaac had to climb a mountain, Moriah, a three days journey from where they were, which many scholars will tell you is the very mountain on which
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Jesus was crucified. On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided. When he got there, imagine
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Joe Foch has estimated that Isaac is 30 years old at this point, because the word for boy just means young man, same
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Hebrew word. Could Isaac, the 120 year old man, pin,
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I'm sorry, could Abraham pin Isaac to that wood? All the 15 year old teenagers through 30 year old, you know the answer to that.
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Impossible. So what does that say? That means that when
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Isaac got there and discovered the will of the father, of Abraham, he willingly laid down on that wood.
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He willingly allowed himself to be tied up, to be slain and burned. Because as Jesus says, no one takes my life,
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I give it willingly. The son agreeing to the will of the father, not my will be done, but yours, he prays in the garden.
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And lays his life down for the sheep. Like a sheep led to the slaughter, he opens not his mouth.
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All of this is in Genesis 22, but Isaac was not that sacrifice, and so caught in the thicket was a ram, caught by its horns.
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And that became the substitute for Isaac. Again, a picture of Christ, that he would be the ultimate sheep.
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And Abraham in Genesis 22, when you guys read it later, speaks of the lamb that will be provided, that's
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Christ. There are more analogies to it, but consider this. Even as Isaac went to the sacrifice and yet came back, as Hebrews 11, 19 says, figuratively speaking, raised from the dead, so Jesus, having died on the cross, rose on the third day.
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Resurrection is right there in Genesis 22. Isaac comes back from this certain death, only in a figure.
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Whereas Jesus, literally, rises from the dead. By the way, there's many pretenders to the throne.
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When I was in Turkey, I went to a place called Ataturk's Mausoleum.
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And this place was decorated with grand buildings and soldiers, and we got to walk around to see where that dead man lie.
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Likewise, Muhammad is buried under a giant dome. Napoleon is under a dome in Paris.
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King George, who the Americans fought in the Revolution, is buried in Windsor in honor and with great fanfare.
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But what you find all in common with the great and so -called great men of old is that their bones lie where they were placed.
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And their flesh has decayed and they rot and they're gone. Eaten by worms. But when our
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Christ was laid in a tomb, on the third day, he conquered death itself and he lives!
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This is the unique one. Risen from the dead. I was once debating a Muslim in Kensington.
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I think it was when I had a formal debate with an imam. And I think this is where the point was raised.
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It might have been when I was just talking to somebody on the street. But he said, oh yeah, you say that the prophecies were fulfilled.
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Show me where the prophecy of Jesus rising on the third day is found in the
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Old Testament. 1 Corinthians 15, 3 and 4. That he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.
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If it's according to the scriptures, where is it? I don't find it anywhere in the Old Testament. I said, that's because you don't have eyes to see.
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Look at Genesis 22, 4. And now you guys look at Genesis 22, 4.
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If you're checked out now, I understand. I told you there was going to be a fire hose. But this is such rich theology and such a picture of Christ to bring faith that we would believe what the scripture has spoken.
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It says in verse 4, on the third day. Well, how does that speak to Christ rising on the third day?
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Because the moment God commanded Abraham to slay his son, his obedience happened in his mind.
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And fathers, you'll understand this. The moment he was commanded and agreed to do it in his mind, which according to the very language of Hebrews 11, 19.
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It's in the Aris tense. When he considers, it's this past action that has no end.
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From the second God spoke it, he was going to do it. This is essentially the idea.
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From the moment God told Abraham, kill your son, Abraham was on a death march.
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His son was dead. Abraham's heart was broken for three days.
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There could be no greater agony than to take a journey from the place you are sent to a mountain for you to lay your hand upon your own son or daughter.
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The agony that Abraham experienced was three days.
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And when he received him back, the joy that was set before him, the resurrection from the dead, not as he expected, overwhelmed and rewarded him for that suffering in the same way
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Jesus was three days in the ground, rising on the third day, Sunday morning.
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That's the imagery of Genesis 22. And that's the point of Hebrews 11, 17 to 19.
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Let's close. I could go on. I have a few more things I want to say, but I will be merciful to you.
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So think about this concept. The tests of our faith are not strange, and you're not different, and you're not a victim.
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There is a God who is giving these tests for his glory and for your sanctification.
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James 1, verses 3 and following. These are good. And as the full picture of God's plan for all time comes into full view, you will one day understand.
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Now it's like looking through a dark glass. That's how Abraham was. He couldn't see it all. You can't understand it all now.
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But the test is to be passed. It's for your discipline, for your strengthening, for your good.
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I think the church in America was tested in 2020.
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Think about this. The government said, you must not meet and preach in this name.
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They left out the name part, but they commanded that you must not gather.
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On the other side of that, we have Hebrews 10, 25 saying, do not neglect the assembling of yourselves together.
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Do this often in remembrance of me, taking communion. Sing hymns one to another. Acts 2, 42, that we are to fellowship with one another, break bread together.
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This is the command of God. We have the command of government and the command of God. Many churches capitulated and listened to government over the command of God.
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Many churches are in great disarray today because of it. Now, God will chastise them for that, and in repentance he will still bring maybe a similar trial again until they are corrected by it and grow from it.
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But the test was meant to strengthen. The test was for our good.
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Now, to be clear, as a pastor, it was my duty to preach the gospel in season and out of season.
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There was never more of an in season than 2020, right?
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For a person who's vulnerable and has the Christian liberty to stay home,
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I have no qualm with that. But as a pastor, I had no choice but to obey
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God rather than man. I was tested in that. This church was tested and proven to be like gold in this matter.
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We had no infighting for this entire year.
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We've remained unified. Even if there were people who disagreed, I don't know that there are. Maybe one or two people.
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Even so, there was submissiveness to the leadership's decisions. There was perfect unity in this church.
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We are being rewarded because of a test. And it wasn't us that accomplished that.
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It was Christ in us. It was by grace that he helped us through. But here's why
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I bring this up. I don't believe the test is over. When a president of the
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United States is asked by media about Facebook and all these different social media platforms, and his response is, they're killing people.
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And by that, he means they need to crack down more on free speech. As if they haven't been cracking down enough, the trial isn't over.
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When 45 churches have been burned in Canada, the test isn't over. When pastors like Tim Stevens are being locked up in Canada, the test isn't over.
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See, we will be tested. And the point of Hebrews 11, 17 to 19 is to steal our resolve.
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To let go of anything that we hold dear for the sake of the name.
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That obedience to Christ, in the things that he commands, we will take and we will do, no matter the cost.
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And this is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, and that by God. But that we will be saved, in the language of Philippians 1, 29.
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We will be tested as a church. You will be tested as an individual.
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Pass the test by faith, the way Abraham did. Don't keep stumbling the same way again and again, or else the same discipline will come again and again.
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But ultimately, you will be corrected, you will be chastised, and eventually you will be glorified. We'll all be together in glory.
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But expect trials, and it's time that we step up and meet those trials. Amen? Let's pray.
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So Father, we thank you so much for your word today. I, for one, am completely ruined by this text.
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Utterly undone before you. To see the faith of Abraham, willing to offer his own son, clinging to your word, and how weak my faith is in comparison to that.
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God, we as a church are so thankful for the trials.
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We count it all joy. We thank you that you have been faithful to us in the trials, and that you are refining our faith.
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And I pray, Lord, that you would increase our faith. That we would not in any way shrink back unto destruction, but that we would stand upon your word.
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And if there is anybody listening to this message who has not yet believed in Christ, I pray that according to the scriptures their eyes would be opened to see that as Isaac typified
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Christ, so it is that Jesus has come into the world to die for sinners like us.
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He was buried, and on the third day he rose. Open their eyes to believe the good news, and give them now the courage to publicly identify with you, to be baptized by immersion as a believer, that they would repent of their sin.
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Believe the good news. We pray that many will be saved through the hearing of this message.
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We pray for all of us who do believe that we would be strengthened in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's stand and sing.
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Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face
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And the things of earth will go strangely through His glory and truth, justice and mercy embraced
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There the Son of God measured this debt was erased
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Jesus to You we lift our eyes
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Jesus our glory and our pride
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We adore You behold
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You our Savior ever true
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Oh Jesus we turn our eyes turn your eyes to the glory of the glory and victory
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Jesus to You we lift our eyes
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Jesus our glory and we adore
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You behold You our Savior ever true
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Oh Jesus we turn our eyes to You turn your eyes to the glory of the glory every knee will bow every tongue will shout all glory to Jesus alone
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Jesus to You we lift our eyes
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Jesus our glory and our pride We adore you, behold you, our
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Savior ever true, O Jesus, we turn our eyes to you.
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Of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.
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So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
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Therefore, let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.
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For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
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Through him, then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.