"A FATHER'S CRUCIAL TEST!"
Written and preached by David P. Nolte
GENESIS 22:1-12
Alexander the Great was an energetic, versatile, and intelligent military
leader. He had conquered almost all the known world with his military strength,
cleverness and diplomacy. He was a strict leader who demanded, expected
and received unquestioning obedience from his troops. Whatever he ordered
them to do, they did unhesitatingly. Whatever he required of them, they
rendered without delay. That's the kind of service our God desires. To
test his obedience, God had placed a weighty demand on Abraham. A demand
from which most fathers would cringe and recoil: "offer your beloved son
as a sacrifice!" It was a significant test! It was a crucial test! And
in facing and passing this test, Abraham becomes for us a model, a pattern,
an illustration of the kind of God pleasing faith that we must all possess
whether we are fathers or not! How did Abraham pass a father's crucial
test and how will we?
UNCONDITIONAL
OBEDIENCE TO THE COMMAND OF GOD:
He did as he was told without murmur or argument. He did not suggest that
he be allowed to offer Ishmael instead; he did not argue for the substitution
of the neighbor's child because nobody would miss him anyhow. Abraham unconditionally
obeyed!
The Bible is clear that to be in line with God, to please Him, to pass
the test, obedience is a must:
JOHN 14:15
"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."
JOHN 14:24
"He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you
hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me."
1 JOHN 2:3-4
"And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.
The one who says, 'I have come to know Him,' and does not keep His commandments,
is a liar, and the truth is not in him;"
LUKE 6:46
"And why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?" If He is
Lord, obey Him! To obey means:
We will not procrastinate or neglect His commandments but will quickly
comply.
We will not rebel against His word but will humbly submit.
We will not alter what He has commanded to suit ourselves but will follow
what He has spoken.
We will not substitute promise for performance but will be doers of the
word.
We will do what He says, as He says, because He says.
We will live up to the spirit of His mother Mary's words, "Whatever He
says to you, do it!"
That's what Abraham did! Whatever God said! And that's how Alexander's
troops obeyed! They did whatever Alexander said!
Alexander's men were soldiers. They knew what hardship was. They knew what
privation was. They had left home and family and comfort to follow Alexander.
One day, the story goes, Alexander and a small company of soldiers approached
a strongly defended city. Alexander shouted out a demand to see the king.
The king came to the walls and Alexander demanded, "Surrender to me at
once!" The king laughed, "Why should I surrender to you? We have you far
outnumbered. You are no threat to us!" Alexander said, "Allow me to demonstrate
why you should surrender." Then he ordered his men to line up single file
and to march. He marched them straight toward a sheer cliff and the king
watched in disbelief as, one by one, Alexander's soldiers marched, without
hesitation, right off the cliff to their deaths on the rocks below. After
10 soldiers had died, Alexander ordered the rest to halt. The king and
his city surrendered realizing that nothing would hinder the eventual victory
of men so utterly willing to surrender their lives for their commander.
That's the kind of submission God saw in Abraham, too. How did Abraham
pass a father's crucial test and how will we?
UNLIMITED
SURRENDER OF OUR MOST BELOVED TO THE HAND OF GOD:
Who more precious than the fruit of his own body? Who could have represented
a greater sacrifice than Isaac? It would have been easier to give all his
wealth or even his own life. Not even Isaac was too good, too precious
to surrender to God.
The Bible is clear that the most beloved of earth must take a backseat
to serving and obeying Jesus Christ!
Matthew 10:37
"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he
who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me."
Mark 8:36
"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his
soul?"
Matthew 6:33
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things
shall be added to you."
To surrender means yielding our best and most cherished; it means
Putting our resources and abilities completely, freely at His disposal
Giving up our personal prejudices, bias, pre-conceived notions and firmly
held opinions.
Surrendering our claims to prideful self-righteousness and self-adequacy.
Laying aside all sinful pleasures, indulgences and lusts.
Forfeiting self-determination and personal agendas and putting our plans,
dreams, goals, hopes, aspiration into His hands for His fulfillment, alteration
or total cancellation.
Following the example of the Macedonians who, Paul said, "First gave themselves
to the Lord and to us by the will of God."2
Corinthians 8:5.
So Abraham laid right on the line what he cherished most!
So did the soldiers of Alexander; their homes, their fortunes, their families;
their lives were sacrificed to follow Alexander. But they did so confident
that they were following Alexander the Great. They believed that he would
not mislead them and that they would somehow attain to the Greek hope of
immortality. Abraham had that kind of confidence in God and knew He would
not mislead him and that whatever He demanded would in no way abrogate
His promise. How did Abraham pass a father's crucial test and how will
we?
UNSHAKEN CONFIDENCE IN THE PROMISE
OF GOD:
God had promised a great nation through Isaac. Now, if he slew him, how
would that come true? Abraham believed that the promise of God could not,
would not fail, so:
Abraham believed that somehow God would still fulfill it even if by a resurrection: Hebrews
11:17-19 "By
faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and he who had received
the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it
was said, 'In Isaac your descendants shall be called.' He considered that
God is able to raise men even from the dead; from which he also received
him back as a type."
He believed God more than he believed the situation!
The Bible urges upon us unshaken confidence: God wants us to be assured,
hopeful, positive, confident people no matter what seems to stand against
us!
Romans 15:4
"For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction,
that through perseverance and the encouragement of the scriptures we might
have hope."
Romans 15:13
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, Who has loved
us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen
your hearts in every good work and word."
Hebrews 6:11-12
"And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize
the full assurance of hope until the end, that you may not be sluggish,
but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."
Hebrews 10:23
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He Who
promised is faithful;"
Hebrews 10:35
"Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward."
Having this kind of confidence implies:
Believing God more than our feelings or opinions.
Believing God more than circumstances or appearances.
Believing God more than anyone else no matter who they may be.
Abraham obeyed God confident that God would honor His word no matter what
things seemed.
Are we as committed to following God's commandments as was Abraham? The
record is that Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.
His belief included obedience. Moses said to Israel: "Be careful to obey
all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with
you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good
and right in the eyes of the Lord your God." Deuteronomy
12:28. If you would
pass the crucial test, you must hear what God has said in His word and
obey it. You must follow Jesus Christ in faith; faith that believes, faith
that trusts, faith that obeys. That involves surrender of all you have
and are. It is to that surrender that we call you today as we sing our
hymn. Look at your life, see if there be some unyielded part, determine
today that all of you, all of yours, will be His from this day on as you
make full surrender.