WEBVTT 00:00:10.349 --> 00:00:13.929 Now it came about after these things that God 00:00:13.929 --> 00:00:19.449 tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham, and 00:00:19.449 --> 00:00:24.510 he said, Here I am. He said, Take now your son, 00:00:24.649 --> 00:00:31.570 your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to 00:00:31.570 --> 00:00:35.409 the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt 00:00:35.409 --> 00:00:39.250 offering on one of the mountains of which I will 00:00:39.250 --> 00:00:43.030 tell you. So Abraham rose early in the morning 00:00:43.030 --> 00:00:47.229 and saddled his donkey and took two of his young 00:00:47.229 --> 00:00:51.729 men with him, and Isaac his son, and he split 00:00:51.729 --> 00:00:55.229 wood for the burnt offering and arose and went 00:00:55.229 --> 00:00:59.229 to the place of which God had told him. On the 00:00:59.229 --> 00:01:02.549 third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the 00:01:02.549 --> 00:01:06.790 place from a distance. Abraham said to his young 00:01:06.790 --> 00:01:10.810 men, Stay here with the donkey, and I and the 00:01:10.810 --> 00:01:14.390 lad will go over there, and he will worship, 00:01:14.530 --> 00:01:18.829 and we will worship and return to you. Abraham 00:01:18.829 --> 00:01:23.569 took the wood of the burnt offering and laid 00:01:23.569 --> 00:01:28.390 it on Isaac, his son. And he took in his hand 00:01:28.390 --> 00:01:33.109 the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked 00:01:33.109 --> 00:01:37.799 on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:43.379 and said, My father. And he said, Here I am, 00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:46.780 my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the 00:01:46.780 --> 00:01:50.420 wood. But where is the lamb for the burnt offering? 00:01:51.319 --> 00:01:55.859 Abraham said, God will provide for himself the 00:01:55.859 --> 00:01:59.920 lamb for the burnt offering, my son. So the two 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:04.700 of them walked on together. Then, They came to 00:02:04.700 --> 00:02:08.759 the place of which God had told him, and Abraham 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:11.979 built the altar there and arranged the wood. 00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:17.120 And he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:21.500 altar on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out 00:02:21.500 --> 00:02:26.439 his hands and took the knife to slay his son. 00:02:27.099 --> 00:02:33.750 There are various forms of cultural Christianity 00:02:33.750 --> 00:02:42.090 today that present erroneous ideas about Christianity, 00:02:42.569 --> 00:02:48.930 about what it means to follow Jesus Christ. Some 00:02:48.930 --> 00:02:53.310 of those various forms kind of go like this. 00:02:54.389 --> 00:03:01.689 They say, I'm going to follow Jesus Christ. But 00:03:01.689 --> 00:03:06.069 God doesn't require anything of me. He doesn't 00:03:06.069 --> 00:03:09.830 demand anything of me. He doesn't ask anything 00:03:09.830 --> 00:03:16.409 of me. I can continue to live and act and believe 00:03:16.409 --> 00:03:22.849 and do as I please as long as I'm nice and I'm 00:03:22.849 --> 00:03:27.030 loving. God accepts me because God loves me. 00:03:27.870 --> 00:03:34.150 God doesn't demand. Anything of me. We all know 00:03:34.150 --> 00:03:39.250 the celebrity Christian Christianity that presents 00:03:39.250 --> 00:03:43.090 this in our world all over, brothers and sisters. 00:03:44.289 --> 00:03:50.930 It's easy to follow Jesus. Go to church and sing 00:03:50.930 --> 00:03:54.129 a few praise and worship songs every once in 00:03:54.129 --> 00:04:01.280 a while. God loves me. He accepts me. That's 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:06.020 all I have to do because I'm accepted by God. 00:04:06.939 --> 00:04:11.479 There's other forms of this which say that God 00:04:11.479 --> 00:04:15.020 doesn't require anything of us or that he only 00:04:15.020 --> 00:04:17.620 requires certain things of us or certain parts 00:04:17.620 --> 00:04:21.360 of our lives. Some forms of Christianity and 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:23.680 erroneous thinking regarding Christianity kind 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:27.100 of go like this. They say, I'm going to give 00:04:27.100 --> 00:04:31.860 God... My time on the Lord's Day. I'm going to 00:04:31.860 --> 00:04:35.600 go to church. I might even sing a few hymns. 00:04:36.339 --> 00:04:41.480 I'll even give some of my money in tithe. But 00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:46.660 I'm not giving my marriage. I'm not giving my 00:04:46.660 --> 00:04:50.839 relationships. I'm not giving my private life. 00:04:51.959 --> 00:04:55.259 I'm not giving my inner thought life to God. 00:04:55.300 --> 00:04:59.589 I'll go and I'll go to church. And give God that. 00:04:59.649 --> 00:05:04.550 But this is mine. This isn't his. I'm not giving 00:05:04.550 --> 00:05:07.769 him my emotions, my feelings. I'm not giving 00:05:07.769 --> 00:05:11.449 him my desires and my longings. I'm keeping these 00:05:11.449 --> 00:05:15.910 things for myself. They're my own. They are not 00:05:15.910 --> 00:05:21.290 his. But then there's others who go about it 00:05:21.290 --> 00:05:27.189 a different way. And they say, okay. I'll give 00:05:27.189 --> 00:05:29.709 God my desires and my wants and my longings, 00:05:29.709 --> 00:05:34.610 but I'm not giving Him any public form of commitment. 00:05:35.670 --> 00:05:40.129 I'm not going to be a part of a church. I'm not 00:05:40.129 --> 00:05:43.089 going to be a public Christian. I'm not going 00:05:43.089 --> 00:05:46.230 to covenant myself to a body. I'm not going to 00:05:46.230 --> 00:05:48.949 join God's people. I'm not going to be baptized. 00:05:50.569 --> 00:05:53.509 I'm not going to give him that part publicly 00:05:53.509 --> 00:05:57.189 or that commitment, that structure in my life, 00:05:57.290 --> 00:06:03.470 but I'll give him my personal life. What's the 00:06:03.470 --> 00:06:07.810 false thinking in all of these things? What's 00:06:07.810 --> 00:06:11.889 the error that binds all these things together? 00:06:13.290 --> 00:06:16.209 Brothers and sisters, it's a thought that something 00:06:16.209 --> 00:06:21.379 is ours. It's a thought that I have the right 00:06:21.379 --> 00:06:27.060 to keep certain parts of my life as my life and 00:06:27.060 --> 00:06:30.540 that they are not God's, that they have not been 00:06:30.540 --> 00:06:33.259 bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:37.079 The erroneous thinking in all of these things 00:06:37.079 --> 00:06:40.660 is that God only demands certain things or certain 00:06:40.660 --> 00:06:47.970 parts or certain aspects of our lives. It's this 00:06:47.970 --> 00:06:52.990 mistaking that God is a loving God, therefore 00:06:52.990 --> 00:07:00.290 He doesn't require that much of His people. It 00:07:00.290 --> 00:07:04.410 doesn't cost us anything to follow this God. 00:07:05.550 --> 00:07:09.430 Brothers and sisters, hear the words of God when 00:07:09.430 --> 00:07:13.300 He commands Abraham to take his son. And to sacrifice 00:07:13.300 --> 00:07:16.740 him as a burnt offering. To slaughter his son 00:07:16.740 --> 00:07:22.480 as an animal. And to be consumed in flames. Take 00:07:22.480 --> 00:07:30.740 now your son. Your only son. Whom you love. God 00:07:30.740 --> 00:07:38.180 knew that Abraham loved Isaac. And go to the 00:07:38.180 --> 00:07:41.300 land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt 00:07:41.300 --> 00:07:44.050 offering. on one of the mountains of which I 00:07:44.050 --> 00:07:48.209 will tell you. I wonder how Abraham would have 00:07:48.209 --> 00:07:53.110 responded if somebody said, it doesn't cost much 00:07:53.110 --> 00:08:01.029 to follow the Lord. It doesn't cost much to obey 00:08:01.029 --> 00:08:07.889 God's commands in our lives. It doesn't require 00:08:07.889 --> 00:08:12.660 sacrificial giving and submission to God. It 00:08:12.660 --> 00:08:17.399 doesn't require self -denial. I wonder how Abraham 00:08:17.399 --> 00:08:21.100 would have responded after this incident when 00:08:21.100 --> 00:08:26.920 God has given him this very costly command. Think 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:30.060 about what this would have cost Abraham, brothers 00:08:30.060 --> 00:08:33.580 and sisters. It would have cost him, it would 00:08:33.580 --> 00:08:40.000 cost him, the life of his natural born son. Brothers 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:43.039 and sisters, Abraham was not, a narcissist and 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:45.279 he was not a wicked man. You know why I say that? 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:47.799 Because he was a man who loved God and he was 00:08:47.799 --> 00:08:52.860 a man who was a father. And he loved Isaac with 00:08:52.860 --> 00:08:59.139 natural affection as a parent loves their child. 00:08:59.340 --> 00:09:02.539 And not only was this son his son, but this was 00:09:02.539 --> 00:09:06.509 the son of promise on whom Seemingly depended 00:09:06.509 --> 00:09:09.929 all his hopes and his dreams, his whole future, 00:09:10.049 --> 00:09:13.169 his inheritance, and the very salvation of the 00:09:13.169 --> 00:09:20.370 world. And here is God commanding him to offer 00:09:20.370 --> 00:09:27.470 that son as a burnt offering. The son that brought 00:09:27.470 --> 00:09:34.710 his wife so much celebratory laughter. Remember 00:09:34.710 --> 00:09:37.870 Isaac and his birth? And Sarah laughs at this 00:09:37.870 --> 00:09:40.950 transformation where she was laughing in unbelief 00:09:40.950 --> 00:09:43.570 previously, and now when Isaac is born, she's 00:09:43.570 --> 00:09:45.950 laughing out of joy and thanksgiving because 00:09:45.950 --> 00:09:51.029 God has given her this blessed boy. That son, 00:09:51.350 --> 00:09:56.370 that's the one that God is commanding Abraham 00:09:56.370 --> 00:10:04.620 to go and offer as a sacrifice. That which was 00:10:04.620 --> 00:10:11.960 very, very dear to him. This wasn't a little 00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:15.759 plaything that he disregards and he doesn't care 00:10:15.759 --> 00:10:22.220 about. Brothers and sisters, Isaac was dear to 00:10:22.220 --> 00:10:27.200 him. He loved that boy with all his affections. 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:33.370 He held Isaac close to his heart. And this is 00:10:33.370 --> 00:10:36.909 the very thing that God is commanding him to 00:10:36.909 --> 00:10:42.350 sacrifice in Moriah. The thing that he loved. 00:10:42.610 --> 00:10:44.690 The thing that was close to him. Have you ever 00:10:44.690 --> 00:10:48.289 thought about the implications of this difficult 00:10:48.289 --> 00:10:51.590 and this costly command that God gives to him? 00:10:52.269 --> 00:10:58.350 What would his wife think? Knowing that Abraham 00:10:58.350 --> 00:11:02.639 was going to offer her son as a burnt offering. 00:11:04.340 --> 00:11:09.200 What would Sarah think? Brothers and sisters, 00:11:09.360 --> 00:11:13.500 how would this affect Isaac's view, who was probably 00:11:13.500 --> 00:11:16.740 20 to 25 at this time, how would this affect 00:11:16.740 --> 00:11:22.179 Abraham's son's view of his own father? Have 00:11:22.179 --> 00:11:25.840 you thought about that? How would the actions 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:29.500 of faith that Abraham is commanded to take part 00:11:29.500 --> 00:11:35.960 in affect the view of his son upon him? Would 00:11:35.960 --> 00:11:40.419 it change his view? There would certainly be 00:11:40.419 --> 00:11:45.279 negative impacts to his obedience. How would 00:11:45.279 --> 00:11:50.600 those people around him view him? This child 00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:53.919 whom he had in his old age, he's gone off and 00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:58.519 he sacrificed him. Brothers and sisters, this 00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:02.950 command was not, An easy one. There were severe 00:12:02.950 --> 00:12:04.990 implications. It was a very difficult command 00:12:04.990 --> 00:12:10.289 that God gave to him. The reality is this. God's 00:12:10.289 --> 00:12:14.509 commands, and in order to follow God and Christ, 00:12:14.850 --> 00:12:23.870 it requires a great deal of sacrifice. It requires 00:12:23.870 --> 00:12:27.409 a great deal of giving up and dying to self. 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:31.620 It's difficult and costly to obey the commands 00:12:31.620 --> 00:12:35.659 of God, especially in the midst of trying times. 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:40.139 Especially in the midst of trials and difficulties 00:12:40.139 --> 00:12:45.000 in our lives. It requires us to give up things 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:49.480 in our lives. Now consider with me two things 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:55.870 this morning. First, let's consider the... Abraham's 00:12:55.870 --> 00:12:59.669 faith or the faith of Abraham. And then secondly, 00:12:59.690 --> 00:13:02.309 I would like to consider Abraham's obedience 00:13:02.309 --> 00:13:06.009 as we see it in the text. I'll offer us a few 00:13:06.009 --> 00:13:11.149 applications once we complete these two. So first 00:13:11.149 --> 00:13:16.269 consider Abraham's faith. Now we think, obviously, 00:13:16.269 --> 00:13:19.549 Abraham was a man of faith and we see that so 00:13:19.549 --> 00:13:21.850 clearly throughout his life. But where in the 00:13:21.850 --> 00:13:25.710 text today do we see Abraham's faith particularly? 00:13:26.669 --> 00:13:31.769 How do we observe it in the text? There's a couple 00:13:31.769 --> 00:13:36.149 places in particular that we see it. Read with 00:13:36.149 --> 00:13:40.549 me in verse 5. Abraham said to his young men, 00:13:40.629 --> 00:13:42.629 and we don't know exactly why he brought these 00:13:42.629 --> 00:13:45.710 young men, but think for first, they didn't do 00:13:45.710 --> 00:13:49.269 anything. These two young men that accompanied 00:13:49.269 --> 00:13:53.120 Abraham, they didn't do anything at all. They 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:56.000 didn't carry anything. They were just present. 00:13:56.039 --> 00:13:59.120 Most likely, Abraham brought these two young 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:03.879 men as witnesses of this event and what was taking 00:14:03.879 --> 00:14:07.679 place so that they could observe what was happening. 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:16.279 So we see Abraham in verse 5 coming to these 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:21.019 young men and he says, stay here with the donkey. 00:14:22.159 --> 00:14:28.000 And I and the lad will go over there. And we 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:35.100 will worship and return to you. Now the NIV makes 00:14:35.100 --> 00:14:39.240 explicit what is implicit in this verse. The 00:14:39.240 --> 00:14:44.779 we doesn't just mean go over there. Abraham is 00:14:44.779 --> 00:14:47.580 saying that we will go over there and worship 00:14:47.580 --> 00:14:53.899 and we will return to you. He's saying, listen, 00:14:54.179 --> 00:14:57.600 you two stay here. Me and Isaac, we're going 00:14:57.600 --> 00:14:59.919 to go over here and do our thing. And then me 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:03.279 and Isaac, we're going to come back to you. Now, 00:15:03.340 --> 00:15:08.259 wait a second. Brothers and sisters, wait a second. 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:16.960 Abraham fully intends to sacrifice his son. He 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:20.200 has every intention within his heart to be obedient. 00:15:20.649 --> 00:15:23.190 to the living God who has commanded him to sacrifice 00:15:23.190 --> 00:15:25.669 his son as a burnt offering, yet he's saying, 00:15:25.750 --> 00:15:27.669 we're going to go over here and worship, and 00:15:27.669 --> 00:15:33.409 then we're going to come back to you. How is 00:15:33.409 --> 00:15:38.029 this possible? Where does this conflict and this 00:15:38.029 --> 00:15:40.590 tension in his life come from, brothers and sisters? 00:15:40.789 --> 00:15:43.669 It's a conflict between his understanding of 00:15:43.669 --> 00:15:48.230 things and his faith. Do you understand that 00:15:48.230 --> 00:15:52.080 he is believing? That in some way, shape, or 00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:55.679 form, God is going to still be faithful to the 00:15:55.679 --> 00:16:00.120 promise in that boy. That even though he's going 00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:03.080 to slay his son and he's going to burn his son 00:16:03.080 --> 00:16:09.000 and he's going to be consumed in ashes, God somehow 00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:14.139 is going to bring that boy back with him. And 00:16:14.139 --> 00:16:17.720 God is still going to fulfill every promise he's 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:22.190 ever made to him in and through. His son, Isaac. 00:16:22.690 --> 00:16:27.309 We see faith present in Abraham in the midst 00:16:27.309 --> 00:16:32.169 of this trial, brothers and sisters. His faith 00:16:32.169 --> 00:16:37.690 stands. It hasn't crumbled and it hasn't fallen 00:16:37.690 --> 00:16:41.049 to the wayside. His faith is standing strong. 00:16:42.169 --> 00:16:47.450 And that somehow, God is going to bring that 00:16:47.450 --> 00:16:51.809 boy back with him. Then we see in verses 7 through 00:16:51.809 --> 00:16:58.250 8. Listen to these. Isaac spoke to Abraham, his 00:16:58.250 --> 00:17:00.950 father, and said, and maybe the most difficult 00:17:00.950 --> 00:17:05.049 words Abraham's ever heard in his life, quite 00:17:05.049 --> 00:17:10.990 possibly, from the boy he's raised, the boy that 00:17:10.990 --> 00:17:15.990 wasn't possible, he hears these words, my father. 00:17:17.930 --> 00:17:23.109 And he said, Here I am, my son. And he said, 00:17:23.150 --> 00:17:27.750 behold, the fire and the wood. But where is the 00:17:27.750 --> 00:17:32.750 lamb for the burnt offering? Isaac, in curiosity, 00:17:32.990 --> 00:17:37.490 wanting to know how the sacrifice is going to 00:17:37.490 --> 00:17:41.589 be performed without the most essential part 00:17:41.589 --> 00:17:47.599 of the sacrifice. A lamb to offer. And brothers 00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:52.099 and sisters, listen to the words of our father 00:17:52.099 --> 00:17:58.599 Abraham. Abraham said, God will provide for himself 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:04.019 the lamb for the burnt offering, my son. Do you 00:18:04.019 --> 00:18:09.160 see faith present in Abraham's response? Even 00:18:09.160 --> 00:18:12.559 though he fully intended to obey the command 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:19.069 of God, he fully... He was convinced in his heart 00:18:19.069 --> 00:18:23.390 that God would deal with the situation in some 00:18:23.390 --> 00:18:29.769 way, shape, or form. Now, he did not believe, 00:18:29.990 --> 00:18:33.390 I do not think, that God was going to provide 00:18:33.390 --> 00:18:36.390 a substitutionary land. And we'll see why in 00:18:36.390 --> 00:18:42.109 a moment. But he believed that God and his sovereignty 00:18:42.809 --> 00:18:46.309 That God in His grace and His demonstrated faithfulness 00:18:46.309 --> 00:18:50.029 over the years, that God would care for him and 00:18:50.029 --> 00:18:52.690 his son, and that God in His providence would 00:18:52.690 --> 00:18:55.089 watch over them, and that God in His faithfulness 00:18:55.089 --> 00:19:01.390 would take care of that situation somehow. Brothers 00:19:01.390 --> 00:19:05.869 and sisters, not all the answers are given. Not 00:19:05.869 --> 00:19:10.630 all the difficulties are resolved in life. But 00:19:10.630 --> 00:19:17.160 faith. Can still be present. Faith can remain. 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:21.180 Even in uncertainty. This is evidence in the 00:19:21.180 --> 00:19:24.220 life of Abraham. He did not fully understand 00:19:24.220 --> 00:19:27.380 everything. And not every issue was resolved 00:19:27.380 --> 00:19:31.460 in his life. In this situation. But brothers 00:19:31.460 --> 00:19:35.940 and sisters. His faith stood. His faith remained. 00:19:37.019 --> 00:19:42.509 No. The Lord is graciously. provided us with 00:19:42.509 --> 00:19:46.910 some New Testament clarification on what's taking 00:19:46.910 --> 00:19:50.990 place in Abraham's life here in this text. And 00:19:50.990 --> 00:19:54.970 literally it's referring to this text. If we 00:19:54.970 --> 00:20:01.250 turn to Hebrews chapter 11, we read in verses 00:20:01.250 --> 00:20:08.609 17 through 19, By faith Abraham, when he was 00:20:08.609 --> 00:20:14.349 tested, offered up Isaac. And he who had received 00:20:14.349 --> 00:20:17.710 the promise was offering up his only begotten 00:20:17.710 --> 00:20:24.809 son. It was he to whom it was said, In Isaac 00:20:24.809 --> 00:20:28.490 your descendants shall be called. Now, listen 00:20:28.490 --> 00:20:30.930 to verse 19, brothers and sisters. This is where 00:20:30.930 --> 00:20:35.509 we get the help. This is where we get the clarification 00:20:35.509 --> 00:20:38.750 regarding Abraham's faith and his thinking in 00:20:38.750 --> 00:20:44.720 this situation. He considered. He concluded. 00:20:44.859 --> 00:20:51.660 He reasoned. He reckoned that God is able to 00:20:51.660 --> 00:20:58.940 raise people even from the dead. Now, in the 00:20:58.940 --> 00:21:01.559 midst of Abraham's difficulty in his trial and 00:21:01.559 --> 00:21:06.869 this situation, where is his faith at? What is 00:21:06.869 --> 00:21:10.069 his faith upon? What is he believing in this 00:21:10.069 --> 00:21:12.529 moment, in this time, over this period of three 00:21:12.529 --> 00:21:15.069 days as he's taking his son to sacrifice him? 00:21:16.470 --> 00:21:22.190 He is believing in God who is able to raise dead 00:21:22.190 --> 00:21:26.970 men back to life. You see, brothers and sisters, 00:21:27.009 --> 00:21:33.180 Abraham was trusting in the nature. And character 00:21:33.180 --> 00:21:39.200 and ability of God to fulfill his promises. And 00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:45.180 his power to raise men. He was hoping in the 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:50.119 resurrection. And God's ability and God's power 00:21:50.119 --> 00:21:59.200 to raise his son up from the ashes. And to restore 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:04.900 him. so as to fulfill every promise he's ever 00:22:04.900 --> 00:22:10.720 made to Abraham in and through his son. Now it's 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:14.140 interesting to me in this text that the author 00:22:14.140 --> 00:22:19.380 of Hebrews helps us see that this was not a spur 00:22:19.380 --> 00:22:22.500 of the moment thing for Abraham. This was not 00:22:22.500 --> 00:22:27.680 an unthought out, unreasoned act of faith in 00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:33.859 his life. The text says, He considered. Now this 00:22:33.859 --> 00:22:41.059 word means that he reasoned. He concluded. He 00:22:41.059 --> 00:22:47.779 thought and prayed and considered what he was 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:51.839 doing and how God would reckon the situation. 00:22:52.700 --> 00:22:57.220 His faith remained in God, but his faith was 00:22:57.220 --> 00:23:00.849 a thinking faith about God. And what he would 00:23:00.849 --> 00:23:04.069 do in this situation. And he landed on the result. 00:23:04.170 --> 00:23:06.710 He landed on the reality. That God is sovereign. 00:23:07.670 --> 00:23:10.769 That God has already given me a son. When I was 00:23:10.769 --> 00:23:13.150 as good as dead. And from the deadness of Sarah's 00:23:13.150 --> 00:23:16.470 womb. Can't he bring back my son from the dead? 00:23:17.289 --> 00:23:21.029 Is God not able to do that? Is God not powerful 00:23:21.029 --> 00:23:25.130 enough to bring back my boy? So as to accomplish 00:23:25.130 --> 00:23:30.329 all of his promises. Brothers and sisters, his 00:23:30.329 --> 00:23:35.349 faith stood. His faith remained in the midst 00:23:35.349 --> 00:23:41.369 of this trying and difficult time. So we see 00:23:41.369 --> 00:23:47.990 that Abraham is faithful and he trusts in God 00:23:47.990 --> 00:23:53.750 even though the command is exceedingly difficult. 00:23:54.990 --> 00:24:01.789 Even though it's exceedingly... He is faithful. 00:24:02.329 --> 00:24:05.509 Now consider Abraham's obedience in this text. 00:24:06.089 --> 00:24:09.410 If his faith was observable and seen in this 00:24:09.410 --> 00:24:14.910 text, then his obedience jumps up off the page 00:24:14.910 --> 00:24:20.329 at us. It's that clear. His faith is observable 00:24:20.329 --> 00:24:23.589 and clear in the text, but his obedience really 00:24:23.589 --> 00:24:29.799 shines forth in... This whole text that Moses 00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:35.759 has given to us, if we were to describe his obedience 00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:39.480 in this text, we would have to say first that 00:24:39.480 --> 00:24:43.380 it was without dispute or argumentation. If there 00:24:43.380 --> 00:24:47.039 was ever anything, if there was ever anything 00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:50.480 that we were to argue with God, I would think 00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:55.250 this might be one of the situations. But Abraham 00:24:55.250 --> 00:25:01.170 does not dispute God in the least. He receives 00:25:01.170 --> 00:25:04.690 it by faith and he obeys. Now, one of the interesting 00:25:04.690 --> 00:25:08.650 things about this is that this call, this command 00:25:08.650 --> 00:25:12.549 of God, is fairly similar to the first one that 00:25:12.549 --> 00:25:18.349 God gave him in Genesis chapter 12. In Genesis 00:25:18.349 --> 00:25:23.940 chapter 12, we read these words in verse 1. Now 00:25:23.940 --> 00:25:27.819 the Lord said to Abraham, go forth from your 00:25:27.819 --> 00:25:31.500 country and from your relatives and from your 00:25:31.500 --> 00:25:35.640 father's house to the land which I will show 00:25:35.640 --> 00:25:39.220 you. There are similarities there between that 00:25:39.220 --> 00:25:43.480 command and the command he receives here in Genesis 00:25:43.480 --> 00:25:49.019 chapter 22. The difference is this. The command 00:25:49.019 --> 00:25:53.359 in Genesis chapter 12. has a great incentive 00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:58.640 attached to it. It has great motive given along 00:25:58.640 --> 00:26:01.099 with the command, does it not, brothers and sisters? 00:26:01.480 --> 00:26:04.279 And I will make you a great nation. Is that a 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:08.339 motive? Is that incentive to obey? And I will 00:26:08.339 --> 00:26:10.680 bless you. Is that motive, is that incentive 00:26:10.680 --> 00:26:15.220 to obey the Lord? Yes. And even in Genesis chapter 00:26:15.220 --> 00:26:18.799 12, with the incentive and the motive attached 00:26:18.799 --> 00:26:22.720 to the promise or the command, Abraham is still 00:26:22.720 --> 00:26:29.240 only partially obedient. Do you realize that 00:26:29.240 --> 00:26:34.339 Abraham was supposed to leave Lot in the land 00:26:34.339 --> 00:26:37.319 of his father? He wasn't supposed to bring his 00:26:37.319 --> 00:26:41.319 nephew. He was supposed to depart and leave and 00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:44.000 separate and go away from all of his father's 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:48.460 household. Yet he disobeys partially and brings 00:26:48.460 --> 00:26:52.480 Lot with him. So even with the incentive and 00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:56.839 the motive attached to the command, Abraham partially 00:26:56.839 --> 00:27:02.339 obeys and he partially disobeys. But in the command 00:27:02.339 --> 00:27:06.720 in Genesis 22, which is exceedingly more difficult, 00:27:07.119 --> 00:27:14.720 notice there's no incentive whatsoever. There's 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:18.640 no motive attached to it. Brothers and sisters, 00:27:19.099 --> 00:27:22.619 There's no reasoning or explanation given to 00:27:22.619 --> 00:27:26.319 Abraham. It's simply a command from God who he 00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:33.440 has known. Yet, we find that he's fully obedient. 00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:43.359 He obeys without dispute. He's immediately obeying 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:47.349 the Lord at this point in his life. It says, 00:27:47.369 --> 00:27:51.150 so Abraham rose early in the morning. In verse 00:27:51.150 --> 00:27:56.990 3, we see that he personally obeys God. Notice 00:27:56.990 --> 00:28:01.329 that Abraham saddles his own donkey. That Abraham 00:28:01.329 --> 00:28:03.970 splits his own wood for the burnt offering. That 00:28:03.970 --> 00:28:06.329 Abraham takes the fire in his own hand. That 00:28:06.329 --> 00:28:08.549 Abraham takes the knife in his own hand because 00:28:08.549 --> 00:28:14.609 he fully intends to personally be obedient to 00:28:14.609 --> 00:28:20.569 God. It's not dependent on anybody else. The 00:28:20.569 --> 00:28:27.049 Lord has commanded him to this task. It was deliberate 00:28:27.049 --> 00:28:32.049 obedience. It was a period of three days that 00:28:32.049 --> 00:28:35.829 this journey took over. Meaning he had three 00:28:35.829 --> 00:28:42.950 days to change his mind. Three days to back out. 00:28:43.009 --> 00:28:47.079 Three days to chew on this task. That God has 00:28:47.079 --> 00:28:49.660 commanded him to do. Brothers and sisters, going 00:28:49.660 --> 00:28:53.640 to bed. Waking up. Going to bed. Waking up. Going 00:28:53.640 --> 00:28:58.480 to bed. Waking up. Every morning, rising to think 00:28:58.480 --> 00:29:01.880 about his son. Every night, going to bed, thinking 00:29:01.880 --> 00:29:09.700 about his son. Yet he was determined to be obedient. 00:29:10.740 --> 00:29:14.539 And he carries through. It was deliberate obedience. 00:29:15.160 --> 00:29:21.480 He had decided in his heart and in his mind that 00:29:21.480 --> 00:29:26.640 he was going to obey the God who had called him 00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:31.920 from idols. He was going to obey the God who 00:29:31.920 --> 00:29:35.299 had given him these gracious promises. He had 00:29:35.299 --> 00:29:37.759 decided in his heart and in his mind that he 00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:40.980 was going to obey this God who had been so gracious 00:29:40.980 --> 00:29:47.619 and so good to him over all. These years. He 00:29:47.619 --> 00:29:50.099 made up his mind. That he was going to do this. 00:29:51.460 --> 00:29:55.759 Brothers and sisters. I wonder. How many of us. 00:29:56.920 --> 00:30:01.680 Have taken time with the Lord. And determined 00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:06.700 in our heart. And in our mind. That I am going 00:30:06.700 --> 00:30:11.279 to obey. God who has saved me. No matter what. 00:30:12.839 --> 00:30:14.799 Have you had time with the Lord where you say, 00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:17.680 I will obey you God no matter how much this hurts. 00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:21.880 No matter what this costs me Lord, I'm going 00:30:21.880 --> 00:30:25.039 to obey you. I'm going to be faithful. I don't 00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:28.099 care what I have to give up. I will be faithful 00:30:28.099 --> 00:30:33.660 to your commands. Brothers and sisters, that's 00:30:33.660 --> 00:30:37.339 what Abraham had to do in his heart. He had to 00:30:37.339 --> 00:30:40.319 overcome the strong feelings and the strong emotions 00:30:40.319 --> 00:30:43.140 that were telling him, don't do it. He had to 00:30:43.140 --> 00:30:45.599 overcome the flesh that was saying, don't obey 00:30:45.599 --> 00:30:50.339 this command. But brothers and sisters, he determined 00:30:50.339 --> 00:30:56.940 in his mind that he would honor his God. No matter 00:30:56.940 --> 00:31:04.640 the cost, no matter how much it hurt. It was 00:31:04.640 --> 00:31:12.680 full and complete obedience. We read, In verse 00:31:12.680 --> 00:31:19.859 10, Abraham stretched out his hand and took the 00:31:19.859 --> 00:31:22.859 knife to slay his son. Brothers and sisters, 00:31:23.059 --> 00:31:26.819 he had the fire and the knife in his hand. He 00:31:26.819 --> 00:31:31.559 raised his hand to slay his son, brothers and 00:31:31.559 --> 00:31:38.019 sisters. This was full and complete obedience. 00:31:38.960 --> 00:31:44.500 It was not partial. or incomplete. He carried 00:31:44.500 --> 00:31:49.440 through. The only reason that it doesn't go about 00:31:49.440 --> 00:31:52.359 is because the Lord providentially and graciously 00:31:52.359 --> 00:31:58.599 intervenes in the action. I think the best way 00:31:58.599 --> 00:32:04.480 to describe this obedience is sacrificial obedience. 00:32:06.359 --> 00:32:12.049 Not just literally, which it was. but brothers 00:32:12.049 --> 00:32:17.210 and sisters, figuratively. Do you realize that 00:32:17.210 --> 00:32:21.569 Abraham was giving up that which he loved so 00:32:21.569 --> 00:32:27.930 dearly in order to obey God. He was sacrificing 00:32:27.930 --> 00:32:31.589 not just a little appendage over here that's 00:32:31.589 --> 00:32:34.549 connected, but he was attaching, he was sacrificing 00:32:34.549 --> 00:32:39.859 his very heart to the living God. The very core 00:32:39.859 --> 00:32:42.099 of his being, the thing that mattered most to 00:32:42.099 --> 00:32:44.519 him, that which was closest, that which was nearest 00:32:44.519 --> 00:32:47.420 and dearest to him, he was giving over to God. 00:32:47.539 --> 00:32:49.579 He was submitting it to him. He was saying, here 00:32:49.579 --> 00:32:56.259 it is. Sacrificial obedience. It was costly obedience. 00:32:56.480 --> 00:33:03.420 It was painful obedience that Abraham was carrying 00:33:03.420 --> 00:33:10.299 out. Now when we consider this obedience, it's 00:33:10.299 --> 00:33:13.500 important for us to understand his place. As 00:33:13.500 --> 00:33:15.680 we think about Abraham's obedience, we have to 00:33:15.680 --> 00:33:18.099 understand it does have a relationship with something 00:33:18.099 --> 00:33:21.539 else we've already seen in the text. His faith. 00:33:23.819 --> 00:33:30.880 His obedience is not what is underneath his faith. 00:33:32.380 --> 00:33:36.460 Listen to this, brothers and sisters. His faith 00:33:36.970 --> 00:33:42.470 is what undergirds and enables his obedience. 00:33:44.049 --> 00:33:49.890 How is it that Abraham is able to pick up the 00:33:49.890 --> 00:33:53.170 knife and to pick up the fire to slay his son? 00:33:53.710 --> 00:33:56.730 How is he able to obey in such a sacrificial 00:33:56.730 --> 00:34:00.069 manner? Because he believes God is able to raise 00:34:00.069 --> 00:34:06.410 dead men from the dead. His belief... His trust 00:34:06.410 --> 00:34:12.030 in God actually undergirds and enables his obedience 00:34:12.030 --> 00:34:22.769 in his life. True faith always produces genuine 00:34:22.769 --> 00:34:25.969 obedience. But brothers and sisters, listen. 00:34:26.969 --> 00:34:33.409 True obedience is always undergirded by true 00:34:33.409 --> 00:34:39.150 faith. Always. There's an inner working, a play 00:34:39.150 --> 00:34:43.909 that takes place. But faith comes first. Faith 00:34:43.909 --> 00:34:46.650 is the foundation. It's the basis. It's what 00:34:46.650 --> 00:34:53.530 works, good works, and obedience blossoms out 00:34:53.530 --> 00:34:58.949 of. It's the well that that water comes forth 00:34:58.949 --> 00:35:03.010 from. So it has to come first. There's a relationship. 00:35:06.409 --> 00:35:09.150 So we see that there's also a relationship between 00:35:09.150 --> 00:35:16.809 faith and all disobedience. So if you think about 00:35:16.809 --> 00:35:22.769 disobedience in your life, or my life, what is 00:35:22.769 --> 00:35:27.670 the root cause of that? What is the root cause 00:35:27.670 --> 00:35:33.309 of all disobedience in the life of the believer? 00:35:35.740 --> 00:35:41.539 Unbelief. It's not believing what God has said. 00:35:42.440 --> 00:35:45.639 What was Adam and Eve's sin? Eating the forbidden 00:35:45.639 --> 00:35:48.400 fruit. Why did they eat the forbidden fruit, 00:35:48.519 --> 00:35:52.099 as the Catechism says? Because they did not believe 00:35:52.099 --> 00:35:58.039 what God had said. Brothers and sisters, disobedience 00:35:58.039 --> 00:36:02.440 is the result of unbelief and not believing what 00:36:02.440 --> 00:36:08.050 God has said in His Holy Word. So if you're disobeying 00:36:08.050 --> 00:36:11.010 in your life, if you're disobeying God's commandments 00:36:11.010 --> 00:36:14.590 and God's laws, what God requires of His people, 00:36:14.730 --> 00:36:17.750 what Christ has commanded us to do or not to 00:36:17.750 --> 00:36:21.849 do, listen, look at the heart before you look 00:36:21.849 --> 00:36:26.869 at the actions. Where's your faith? And what 00:36:26.869 --> 00:36:29.150 are you believing? And what are you not believing? 00:36:29.510 --> 00:36:33.329 That's going to tell you why you're disobeying 00:36:33.329 --> 00:36:39.920 in your life. The root cause is the heart that 00:36:39.920 --> 00:36:44.780 is full of unbelief. That's toying with unbelief. 00:36:44.840 --> 00:36:49.539 That's toying with disbelief and doubt. The result 00:36:49.539 --> 00:36:56.139 of that is disobedience in our lives. The issue 00:36:56.139 --> 00:36:59.880 is not the behavior. We have to understand that. 00:37:00.860 --> 00:37:03.679 The issue is not the actions, brothers and sisters. 00:37:04.230 --> 00:37:07.170 The issue is not the words. The issue is not 00:37:07.170 --> 00:37:10.030 the speech. Those are the manifestation of a 00:37:10.030 --> 00:37:12.829 deeper issue in our lives. What's the deeper 00:37:12.829 --> 00:37:17.630 issue? We don't believe what God has said in 00:37:17.630 --> 00:37:23.269 His Word. We don't actually trust Him. That's 00:37:23.269 --> 00:37:29.510 why we disobey in our lives. We have to get beyond 00:37:29.510 --> 00:37:33.070 the outward and look to the inward heart and 00:37:33.070 --> 00:37:37.389 see. the faith, or the disbelief. And that will 00:37:37.389 --> 00:37:39.590 help us resolve a lot of issues in our life. 00:37:40.670 --> 00:37:46.869 Now, we see Abraham, a man of faith. We see his 00:37:46.869 --> 00:37:50.610 obedience. But what's the ultimate picture we 00:37:50.610 --> 00:37:54.610 see in Abraham here? I mean, think about Joshua 00:37:54.610 --> 00:38:01.250 24 .2, which talks about how God called Abraham's 00:38:01.250 --> 00:38:06.090 father out. of a foreign land, and from worshiping 00:38:06.090 --> 00:38:12.809 idols, meaning Abraham as well. And now we have 00:38:12.809 --> 00:38:16.070 Abraham, not a pagan idol worshiper, but now 00:38:16.070 --> 00:38:20.909 we have Abraham, a fully consecrated man of faith, 00:38:21.090 --> 00:38:25.329 obeying God, worshiping God, and giving him everything 00:38:25.329 --> 00:38:31.829 that he has. What has happened to Abraham? What 00:38:31.829 --> 00:38:35.030 has made this change in his life? What has transformed 00:38:35.030 --> 00:38:38.010 him, brothers and sisters? It's the gospel of 00:38:38.010 --> 00:38:43.489 Jesus Christ. The effect in his life of God working 00:38:43.489 --> 00:38:51.130 in his life is that he believes and that he obeys. 00:38:52.489 --> 00:38:57.570 Abraham has given everything to God. He's willing 00:38:57.570 --> 00:39:00.389 to give him anything that he asks because he 00:39:00.389 --> 00:39:06.630 knows This God who is commanding me. We come 00:39:06.630 --> 00:39:15.170 to this and we think sometimes I'm so grateful. 00:39:15.329 --> 00:39:20.530 I'm so thankful that God doesn't require that 00:39:20.530 --> 00:39:30.179 of me. I'm so thankful that God would never And 00:39:30.179 --> 00:39:31.780 brothers and sisters, I've thought these things. 00:39:32.559 --> 00:39:36.139 I'm so thankful that God would never ask me to 00:39:36.139 --> 00:39:41.599 do that. I'm so thankful that that was Abraham 00:39:41.599 --> 00:39:46.219 and not me. I'm so thankful that God doesn't 00:39:46.219 --> 00:39:49.940 demand that of me. I'm so thankful that God doesn't 00:39:49.940 --> 00:39:55.679 require that of me. We often think in terms of 00:39:55.679 --> 00:39:58.760 this, sometimes too. I'm so thankful that God 00:39:58.760 --> 00:40:05.079 is... a little different now. Brothers and sisters, 00:40:05.199 --> 00:40:09.380 God still requires everything of His people. 00:40:11.340 --> 00:40:17.559 Everything. He still requires your heart. He 00:40:17.559 --> 00:40:22.940 still demands your life. He still demands your 00:40:22.940 --> 00:40:27.900 thoughts. He still demands your desires. He still 00:40:27.900 --> 00:40:30.860 demands your longings. He still demands your 00:40:30.860 --> 00:40:34.239 children. He still demands your home. He still 00:40:34.239 --> 00:40:39.039 demands your careers. He demands all of you. 00:40:39.639 --> 00:40:46.179 Every single aspect. And He requires every inch 00:40:46.179 --> 00:40:55.159 of your being. This is why we read in text like 00:40:55.159 --> 00:41:00.210 Matthew. Chapter 10, where the Lord Jesus Christ 00:41:00.210 --> 00:41:03.190 says, Do not think that I came to bring peace 00:41:03.190 --> 00:41:05.929 on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, 00:41:05.969 --> 00:41:09.230 but a sword. For I came to set a man against 00:41:09.230 --> 00:41:11.250 his father, and a daughter against her mother, 00:41:11.289 --> 00:41:13.449 and a daughter -in -law against her mother -in 00:41:13.449 --> 00:41:16.750 -law. And a man's enemies will be the members 00:41:16.750 --> 00:41:20.889 of his household. It's hard to follow Jesus Christ. 00:41:21.900 --> 00:41:24.139 It's going to bring conflict into this world. 00:41:24.199 --> 00:41:26.480 It's going to be conflict into your life and 00:41:26.480 --> 00:41:28.900 your relationships, brothers and sisters. Therefore, 00:41:29.019 --> 00:41:31.800 you need to count the cost of following this 00:41:31.800 --> 00:41:36.159 Lord and this Savior. That's what this text is 00:41:36.159 --> 00:41:40.239 telling us. He who loves father or mother more 00:41:40.239 --> 00:41:44.440 than me is not worthy of me. And he who loves 00:41:44.440 --> 00:41:47.340 son or daughter more than me is not worthy of 00:41:47.340 --> 00:41:52.989 me. God requires everything of you. If you want 00:41:52.989 --> 00:41:55.190 to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, then you have 00:41:55.190 --> 00:41:57.610 to give Him everything that is in your being. 00:42:00.750 --> 00:42:03.610 And he who does not take up his cross and follow 00:42:03.610 --> 00:42:09.469 after me is not worthy of me. He who has found 00:42:09.469 --> 00:42:12.530 his life will lose it, and he who has lost his 00:42:12.530 --> 00:42:16.469 life for my sake will find it. We read in Luke 00:42:16.469 --> 00:42:21.760 14, verse 26, Now large crowds were going along 00:42:21.760 --> 00:42:24.219 with him, and he turned and said to them, If 00:42:24.219 --> 00:42:27.000 anyone comes to me and does not hate his own 00:42:27.000 --> 00:42:29.239 father and mother and wife and children and brothers 00:42:29.239 --> 00:42:33.739 and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot 00:42:33.739 --> 00:42:38.800 be my disciple. Meaning, your love and your commitment 00:42:38.800 --> 00:42:41.860 and your loyalty and your fidelity to Jesus Christ 00:42:41.860 --> 00:42:46.260 must overshadow every single other love and fidelity 00:42:46.260 --> 00:42:51.039 that you have in your life. Your love for Him 00:42:51.039 --> 00:42:54.920 has to be up here. And it must cast a shadow 00:42:54.920 --> 00:42:58.920 on everything else down here. That's what Christ 00:42:58.920 --> 00:43:02.599 is saying. That your love and your obedience 00:43:02.599 --> 00:43:05.340 and your faith and your trust and your commitment 00:43:05.340 --> 00:43:09.199 to Him must be exceedingly higher than that of 00:43:09.199 --> 00:43:13.400 everyone else. Your love for Him must inform 00:43:13.400 --> 00:43:19.480 your love for everything else in your life. He 00:43:19.480 --> 00:43:24.539 still requires everything of His people, brothers 00:43:24.539 --> 00:43:27.119 and sisters. That's why we read in Romans 12, 00:43:27.559 --> 00:43:30.320 verse 1, Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the 00:43:30.320 --> 00:43:33.360 mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living 00:43:33.360 --> 00:43:37.139 and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which 00:43:37.139 --> 00:43:40.519 is your spiritual service of worship. Does that 00:43:40.519 --> 00:43:44.059 sound familiar? Brothers and sisters, does that 00:43:44.059 --> 00:43:49.039 sound familiar? We have to be willing to have 00:43:49.039 --> 00:43:51.400 the same kind of faith and the same kind of obedience 00:43:51.400 --> 00:43:55.059 that Abraham had. He may not ask us to sacrifice 00:43:55.059 --> 00:43:58.300 our child, but brothers and sisters, he commands 00:43:58.300 --> 00:44:03.579 us to sacrifice ourselves daily. To give him 00:44:03.579 --> 00:44:08.300 all of us. He wants all of you, brothers and 00:44:08.300 --> 00:44:13.000 sisters. Do you not want to entrust your souls 00:44:13.000 --> 00:44:16.980 over and over and over? To the God who made you 00:44:16.980 --> 00:44:22.059 and the God who redeems you? Is He not sovereign? 00:44:22.159 --> 00:44:25.179 Is He not good? Is He not faithful? Is He not 00:44:25.179 --> 00:44:29.820 able? Is He not worthy of our faith and our trust 00:44:29.820 --> 00:44:34.280 and our obedience? He is unchanged, brothers 00:44:34.280 --> 00:44:42.780 and sisters. The commands of God have not changed 00:44:42.780 --> 00:44:48.679 and that they're costly. It still requires sacrificial 00:44:48.679 --> 00:44:54.280 faith and sacrificial obedience. Why? Because 00:44:54.280 --> 00:44:57.780 the transforming power of the gospel has not 00:44:57.780 --> 00:45:03.059 changed. Just like the gospel transformed Abraham, 00:45:03.280 --> 00:45:06.260 brothers and sisters, the gospel transforms us 00:45:06.260 --> 00:45:10.179 so that it gives us a heart that actually longs 00:45:10.179 --> 00:45:15.780 after Christ. That actually longs after God. 00:45:15.920 --> 00:45:19.500 A heart that actually loves Christ more than 00:45:19.500 --> 00:45:23.500 everything else. Therefore, God requires everything 00:45:23.500 --> 00:45:28.000 of that regenerate heart. Brothers and sisters, 00:45:28.300 --> 00:45:34.719 the gospel makes us willing to give everything 00:45:34.719 --> 00:45:38.860 to Christ. The gospel transforms our desires 00:45:38.860 --> 00:45:41.780 and our longings and our hearts so that we want. 00:45:42.239 --> 00:45:45.719 To obey Him. That's what it does in our hearts, 00:45:45.739 --> 00:45:50.500 just like it did in Abraham's life. The nature 00:45:50.500 --> 00:45:55.679 of faith has not changed. We have the same kind 00:45:55.679 --> 00:45:59.159 of faith as Abraham, brothers and sisters. The 00:45:59.159 --> 00:46:03.139 Bible is explicitly clear about that. Your faith, 00:46:03.219 --> 00:46:06.420 if you know Jesus Christ, and you are justified 00:46:06.420 --> 00:46:09.960 in the sight of God, is the exact same kind of 00:46:09.960 --> 00:46:14.510 faith that Abraham had. Possessed. It lays hold. 00:46:15.489 --> 00:46:20.050 Of the same gospel. Brothers and sisters. What 00:46:20.050 --> 00:46:24.829 God has promised. In the gospel. Has not changed. 00:46:26.090 --> 00:46:30.429 The promise that he gave to Abraham. That's the 00:46:30.429 --> 00:46:33.389 same today. That it was then. It's just more 00:46:33.389 --> 00:46:36.590 fully revealed. And clarified now. In the new 00:46:36.590 --> 00:46:40.570 covenant. The same content. And the same realities. 00:46:41.320 --> 00:46:47.599 And they are unchanged today. God has given his 00:46:47.599 --> 00:46:53.900 people everything in Christ, brothers and sisters. 00:46:55.699 --> 00:47:02.760 He has given you all of himself. Brothers and 00:47:02.760 --> 00:47:05.840 sisters, he's given you pardon. He's given you 00:47:05.840 --> 00:47:09.159 His grace, His mercy. He's given you all of His 00:47:09.159 --> 00:47:14.920 eternal, everlasting love on the cross. He's 00:47:14.920 --> 00:47:18.380 given you all of Himself in Christ. And we see 00:47:18.380 --> 00:47:24.139 it on the cross of Calvary. He requires all of 00:47:24.139 --> 00:47:31.679 us. He's given us eternity. He's given us redemption 00:47:31.679 --> 00:47:36.320 and salvation. He's given us everything, brothers 00:47:36.320 --> 00:47:38.840 and sisters. He's given us hope. He's given us 00:47:38.840 --> 00:47:41.860 the resurrection. He's given us immortality and 00:47:41.860 --> 00:47:45.079 life and light and power. He's given us the divine 00:47:45.079 --> 00:47:48.300 spirit of God to dwell within us. And He requires 00:47:48.300 --> 00:47:55.099 all of us. But brothers and sisters, that's our 00:47:55.099 --> 00:47:59.940 hope. That we are not our own. Our hope in this 00:47:59.940 --> 00:48:06.239 life is that we are not Our own people. There's 00:48:06.239 --> 00:48:07.900 one part of this catechism I just want to read 00:48:07.900 --> 00:48:12.079 in conclusion. What is our only comfort in life 00:48:12.079 --> 00:48:16.880 and death? That both in soul and body, whether 00:48:16.880 --> 00:48:23.239 I live or die, I am not my own. But belong wholly 00:48:23.239 --> 00:48:26.719 unto my most faithful Lord and Savior, Jesus 00:48:26.719 --> 00:48:30.780 Christ. By his most precious blood, fully satisfying 00:48:30.780 --> 00:48:33.909 for all my sins. He has delivered me from the 00:48:33.909 --> 00:48:36.889 power of the devil, and so preserves me that 00:48:36.889 --> 00:48:39.449 without the will of my heavenly Father, not so 00:48:39.449 --> 00:48:42.869 much as a hair may fall from my head. Yes, all 00:48:42.869 --> 00:48:45.989 things must serve for my safety or good, and 00:48:45.989 --> 00:48:49.090 by his Spirit he also assures me of everlasting 00:48:49.090 --> 00:48:52.969 life, and makes me ready and prepared that from 00:48:52.969 --> 00:48:58.250 now on I may live to him. Brothers and sisters, 00:48:58.269 --> 00:49:01.409 our hope, your hope as a believer. is that you 00:49:01.409 --> 00:49:05.989 are not your own. That you are God's, that you 00:49:05.989 --> 00:49:06.670 are in His hands.