Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #10130 - Maturity That Leads to Obedience - Genesis 22:1-5

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#10130 - Maturity That Leads to Obedience - Genesis 22:1-5 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
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Ed, Taylor recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora,
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Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
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through abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream
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Services. Visit us online at Calvary, Co
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dot church or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Now, here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen. Amen, take your Bibles open them
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to Genesis chapter, 22 Genesis chapter 22.
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And I've entitled our Bible study maturity that leads to
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obedience maturity that leads to obedience.
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Now remember when we're reading through the Bible, there is one
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singular theme on every page and that is everything is pointing
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to Messiah. Pointing to Jesus and even as
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we're reading in the Old Testament, we're seeing types
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and pictures of Jesus. And this chapter is one of the
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most important chapters in The Bible.
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It's one of the high points of the scriptures.
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It's a prophetic chapter and it points to all that will happen
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through Jesus. Thousands of years later and in
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the chapter, we have a Other. We have a son and we have a
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sacrifice and going through where I had prepared the Bible
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study and I finished the chapter in one study, but as I was
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reviewing it, I think it's important that we slow down a
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little bit and let the chapter like resonate in our hearts.
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So we're just going to take sections of it, at least for two
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weeks, maybe three and allow the Holy Spirit to use it.
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Now, as the Bible in the Old Testament is looking forward.
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It uses pictures And you might hear the word typology types.
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And so, as you're reading in the Old Testament, there are
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pictures and types of what will be coming in the New Testament
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and you can just draw it down. A great example of this Lisa
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description is in Colossians chapter 2, in verse 16 in
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Colossians 2:16. It says, don't let anyone judge
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you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival, or a new
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moon, or Sabbath's, and then they did he describes it, which
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are a shadow of things to come. But the substance is of Christ
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and so the shadow is not the substance, it's a reflection of
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the substance and that's what a type is a type is not the actual
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end. It's a picture of what's to
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come. And something we learn deeply in
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our study through Hebrews was a significant of typology and
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because the central theme of the Bible is Jesus, the types of
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pictures are often of him as he fulfilled them.
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And so you look back at just a few things.
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To consider Adam as a type of Jesus, Moses becomes a type of
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Jesus. The Passover Lamb is a type of
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Jesus, the Manna in the wilderness, the bronze Serpent,
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and on, and on it goes pointing forward to Jesus, who is to
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come. Now, with that in mind, here in
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chapter, 22 of Genesis, we have learned Abraham has faced three
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critical tests in his life, and he's passed them.
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Three critical test. If your keep taking notes, the
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first one was being Called out of his homeland.
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He was called to something brand-new.
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He and he was called, I guess you could even divide This.
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Not only was he called out, but he was called to somewhere that.
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God said he would show him. So it wasn't even told exactly
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where he was going. Just leave number two.
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He was called to separate from lot, which was pretty
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significant. He loved a lot was his family,
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and he was called to separate from lot and lot.
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Remember, went to Sodom and, and dealt with the Has of his simple
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Behavior there, but Abraham had two separate giving preference a
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lot. He passed that test.
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And then finally, the third test which was very significant as
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well. I mean, these are heavy things.
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Is that he was told to let go of his precious son, Ishmael,
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because Isaac is the promised child.
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But he loved his smile, even though Ishmael came from a bad
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decision and impatience God loved Ishmael as well, as well
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as his dad, and he was called the separate he passed.
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Test, his fourth test is here in chapter 22 and this would prove
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to be the most difficult. And the most challenging this
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test would involve pain suffering and deep anguish.
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And there will still be a lot of changes that God wants to make
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in this man of Faith. Developing him discipling him
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and they're coming in the form of test and here in this chapter
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God is going to use pain to strengthen the faith of his
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servant. Now if you're new to the Bible,
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this is a start anything to consider that pain would
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actually be a tool to make you stronger, but I have found that
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pain is often the tool. One of the most popular tools
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that will strengthen your faith. In God, it's counterintuitive
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because there's so much natural emotions.
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So much natural reaction that we think what?
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What is this? And I don't want this and how
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could this possibly used by God? But God uses pain to get our
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attention to To bring us to a place of surrender and to bring
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us from glory to glory strength to strength from level to level
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of maturity. Now, the idea that God uses pain
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to strengthen is not an easy truth to accept or to live with
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some might even look at this and go.
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Wait a minute, I thought God was a god of love and in your
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definition of a god of love that, he doesn't want anyone to
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experience pain or suffering. But the Bible would disagree
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with that. God uses it, it was man's choice
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that brought pain and suffering into the world.
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It was man's Disobedience. It was man's Rebellion.
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It was Adam and Eve in the garden that brought this all
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upon us. God's heart is to use it because
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as we survey through the entirety of the Bible, we find
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spiritual growth is so often surrounded by sacrifice and
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suffering. Now, I don't think the Bible
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teaches us to go looking forward or to inflict pain and suffering
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upon ourselves. That's not what the Bible
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teaches at all, but I do know this.
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For those of you that have spent your whole life trying to avoid
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pain and suffering, you've missed out on key areas of your
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life that would bring about Out quick maturity, a lot of
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maturity, a lot of growth as we submit ourselves to the
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difficulties of Life. Instead of trying to drown them
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with alcohol or runaway relationships and on, and on the
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list goes of ways that we've tried to avoid pain instead of
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embracing the reality that every human being.
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You see, for the person, apart from Jesus pain, has real.
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No has really, no purpose. There's no explanation for pain.
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It's just another thing to deal with another thing to endure
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another, there's no explanation. I'll put side of Christ but in
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Christ and we've developed this. Another Bible studies especially
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in Romans chapter 8, especially around Romans 8:28 how God uses
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all things together for the good with in Christ.
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We understand that pain has a purpose and an end and it's used
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by God for his purposes. The difference is how we
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respond. And certainly there are some
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listening to me right now that I've seen God use pain in your
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life and you've gotten through it and even do heard it, and
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you're a better person because of it.
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God has shown you things that couldn't be seen before and
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revealed things to us again. Jot it down, let me read to you.
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In Hebrews chapter 12, we're reminded in Hebrews 12 over, are
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not the only ones that suffer. Every generation of Believers
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have suffered greatly and Hebrews 12.
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It says, therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud
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of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin, which
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so easily ensnares us and let us run our race with endurance, the
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race that is set before us looking unto Jesus, the author
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and finisher of our faith. Who for the joy that was set
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before him. Endured the cross despising, the
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shame and has sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God,
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consider him. Do heard such hostility from
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Sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged
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in your souls. And I have found over the years
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that believers who don't suffer much tend to be weaker in their
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walk. Maybe a little more naive or
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misunderstand the grace of God, there's less of a depth.
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Maybe a little bit slower in their maturity, but the opposite
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is true as well. Some of the most steady, strong
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deepest, root Believers. I've met, if you heard their
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story would just it would make you hurt that they've endured,
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so much pain in their life, and their response to, it was a
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deeper faith and trust in the Lord, no matter what.
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And let their roots go down. Deeply You see, I've met those
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that have experienced deep heartache and pain and sorrow.
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That is give them a depth of relationship that you can't buy
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in a book or learn from a Bible study or some series somewhere.
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You learn it in the place of suffering.
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And the place of dependents with that in mind.
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Let's see this episode of this final or fourth test in
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Abraham's life. We're just going to look at the
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first few verses today but there's much too much to learn
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verse 1 now. It came to pass after these
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things that God tested, Mark, that word tested, Abraham and
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said to him Abraham and he said, here I am.
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And he said, take now your son, your only son whom you love.
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Mark that word and go to the land of Moriah and offer him
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there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I
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shall tell you. And finally, the voice of the
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Lord comes to Abraham once again after he planted the tamarisk
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tree, and he's going to be a place of worship and
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Independence, and he seen the faithfulness of God, the voice
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of God comes again and it says that God tested Abraham God has
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been preparing or were we Use today.
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God has been coaching Abraham along the way in his personal
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relationship. You can say here in chapter. 22.
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Abraham is a very different man, than the man we met when we
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first met him called, from his Pagan background.
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I mean, he has changed dramatically over the years, and
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it has been many years. God has been preparing him and
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coaching him patiently in this school of Faith.
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Giving him a little Tess along the way.
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But this is, you could say, is one commentator called this, the
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final exam for Abraham. I mean, this is the big test.
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And, you know, the thing about the big test is you just never
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know when it's going to come, you know, God's working in you,
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you know, you're preparing, you know, you've got these little
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victories in the battles. You just don't know when the big
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One's Gonna Come. And yet, here it is.
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In his life, Abraham is about to face the most remarkable ironic
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test that anyone has ever experienced.
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He's waited, 25 years, The child to come and miraculously son is
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born. And now now he's going to be
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asked to give him up in a very extraordinary way.
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And this brings out an important lesson for us just on this word
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testings because I want you to understand the difference
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between testings and temptations.
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There is a difference between the testings of God and The
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Temptations of the devil. Now they kind of feel the same
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at times and maybe even look the same but they're not the same.
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The same. They're very, very different in
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James chapter 1, in verse 13. It says let no one say when he
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is, tempted, I am tempted by God for God, cannot be tempted by
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evil. Nor does he himself, tempt
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anyone? But each one is tempted, when he
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is drawn away, by his desires and enticed.
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And so, the Temptations of the devil are designed to destroy
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you. Temptations of the devil are not
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only designed to draw your faith away from God.
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But they're designed to draw you into sin because in the
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playground of sin, the wages of sin is what church death.
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So The Temptations of the devil are designed to try to trip you
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up and cause you to fail. His tempting tempting is of the
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devil or designed for your destruction.
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While God's testings are designed for your expansion.
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Testing. Now, if you use the illustration
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that we're familiar with in school, with testings, a test is
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designed to reveal a test, is a revelation.
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And what the teacher, what the school is looking for, is the
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revelation of whether you learn what you were taught, or how
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much have you learned, what you were taught, or how much more
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you need to learn? It all depends on what this test
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is going to review. Eel and your answers and after
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it gets graded and this is an important truth.
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We don't need, listen, this, this might be startling for you,
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but as followers of Jesus, we don't need more information as
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much as we value information. In the study of God's, we don't
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need more information. What we need is revelation
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There's a depth of information that we need that only God, can
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reveal. And that's why the Bible says
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knowledge puffs up but love edifies and it's a loving God
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that will lead us down a path using one of his tools.
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It's not his only tool but using one of his tools of testings so
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that there might be a revelation of what's going on in our
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hearts. You know, you pull might, you
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might pray. This scripture in Psalm 139
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verse 23 in Psalm 139 23. It says, search me o God and
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know my heart. Try me and know my My anxiety is
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just a ray by a raising of hands.
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How many of you have prayed that scripture?
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Exactly. Or something like that, to God.
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Okay. So this is the answer.
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Try Me. Lord.
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And his God said, okay, here's a test.
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Here's an opportunity, so that you can see what's inside a
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revelation. The rest of the scripture talks
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about being led in the right direction.
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Let me get another one. Psalm 17 and verse 3, the Bible
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says, you have tested my heart. You have visited me in the The
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night you have tried me and found nothing.
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I purpose that my mouth shall not transgress and here's
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another one, a different way of looking at it.
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Psalms 26, verse 2. Examine Me O Lord and prove me,
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try my mind and my heart. So you know testings are going
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to build your faith tempting. 'S are going to erode your
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faith. They're going to lead you away
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from God into behavior. That maybe even you can self
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justify, but the end thereof is death, the Bible says, there is
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a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death.
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And we want to be careful to know that testings come our way
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and God sends them our way. And tempting is come our way and
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the devil sends them and he really, you know, that I don't
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want to oversimplify it, but a lot of The Temptations we bring
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upon ourselves. The devil doesn't need to show
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it because it's just our way of thinking and we need to unlearn
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things and and what we're putting in our eye gate and what
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we're putting in our ear gate in a week.
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It's not like the devil's chasing you around everywhere
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because he doesn't need to. We bring a lot of Temptations of
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On ourselves when we print, but we feed our flesh.
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We present ourselves to this world and on and on the list
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goes. And so in between chapter 21 and
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chapter 22, you know, 20 plus years have passed, and before
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God tested Abraham God is preparing him for the test and
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that is the work of God in our lives.
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I mean, I dare say, some of you face the test today and in the
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response to the test, your heart was revealed.
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Now, whether you admit it or not, or whether you see it or
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not, God has been working in your life and all that God is
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doing today is preparing you for.
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What's up ahead, maybe little test, little test, little test,
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little test, big test, or perhaps some of you have been
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called to a deeper relationship with him.
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And it's big test, big test, big test, big test, huge one at the
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end. But the end result is this
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Revelation preparation equipping.
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So that you and I might not stay in the same place.
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Spiritually stay in the same place emotionally Optionally
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stay in the same place in a, in a level of maturity, God wants
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us to grow up. Just those of you with children,
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his parents or grandchildren, or nieces and nephews are like, our
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hearts are for the kids to grow up.
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They need to grow up that's God's will for their life, to
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grow up from age to age and then aged leads to maturity.
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And that it is important, that not only do our desire, our kids
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are growing up, but we also continue to grow up.
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And Abraham he has gone through these testings.
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We're in between the chapters. You know, it's been kind of
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quiet in his life. And there are seasons of
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quietness sometimes right before a big test, there's a season of
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Peace. What do they say in the The Calm
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before the storm? Well, it's true.
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God will give you a peace and a settled, you know, there's just
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kind of waters are calm and and that that's you know, so much
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goes on in this church, this little Church of ours, much
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Warfare, so much stuff like and I'm always concerned when it's
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quiet. I'm always concerned where
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there's like, it just seems like it is never true, but it just
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seems like it's more of a calm season than usual and it changes
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my prayer life. I'm not asking God, you know,
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stirs up with more trials or anything but, but I, it concerns
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me, because when there's progress being made for the
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things of God, there will be resistance.
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Although at times God will give you a rest.
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And you see that with Abraham, there is a little bit of a rest
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before God speaks to him again. And in due season, the tests
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come time of proving. Now, notice in verse 2, now that
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this test it is unique. It's singular and all the
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scriptures, but this test came in a very sensitive area of
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Abraham's life. Very sensitive and personal
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Abraham, loved his son, Isaac. And now God is asking him to
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give up his loved and prized possession.
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Already having sent Ishmael away in obedience to God, I was a
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smaller test and now God's leading him to a bigger test.
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which brings up a question for us in our own lives and that is
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Do you have an Isaac? You know, when we went through
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and and studied Ishmael, we ask that similar question.
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You know. Do you have an issue now?
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Be careful. You know, don't create an
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Ishmael would be problems the rest of your life and all in the
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fleshy could look at that, study earlier.
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But you also can have an Isaac where things in our lives.
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Are people in our lives or positions in our lives.
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Can actually become an idol in our lives.
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Something more important than God.
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And some describe this as a master passion that overrules,
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you know, Jesus desires to be your master passion, seek first
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the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these
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things will be added unto you or it could be a master possession.
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Or some idealistic thought. Maybe the most precious thing
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you own, or you have or you want, and you have to ask
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yourself, are you holding to it? Are you clinging to it or are
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you willing to release it and trust the Lord with it?
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And so even at the outset here, I don't be surprised if God
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would call you to sacrifice something.
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That's very precious to you. Something that is in his
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Revelation. Oh, and the revelation of what
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he's revealing to you, he got already knows but nobody's
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revealing to you, is that something has become far too
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precious to you and is getting in the way.
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And it's only when you choose to release it, and surrender it in
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full submission to God that he begins to multiply blessings in
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your life. Now, another note I want you to
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see in verse 2, is he says, whom you love.
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Now, remember when we're reading through the Book of Genesis,
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you're coming across a lot of Firsts.
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This is the first time this word love is used in the Bible and I
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want you to notice it's not associated.
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With the way the kind of world, this syrupy, love of romance,
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and rom-coms and, and the way the world operates all physical
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and, you know, it's not, it's not associated.
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The first time, the Bible uses the word love.
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It's associated with pain. And sacrifice.
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It's associated with submission. It is associated.
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Well let me show you in the New Testament.
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Would you hold your place here? Turn over to 1st.
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Corinthians chapter 13. First Corinthians chapter 13 by
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way of reminder. There is a display.
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It's not a full definition of God's love, but it's a display
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of love and we see this lived out in Abraham's life.
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We also see it in very great contrast to the way the world
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describes love. And notice with me.
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When you get there in Chapter 13, pick up with me.
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Actually chapter 12, pick up with me.
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No chapter 13. No chapter 12, no chapter 13.
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It's 13th. Sorry, I was covering the
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number. My Bible was all messed up.
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I need a new one verse 4 love suffers long and is kind.
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Love does not envy. Love does not parade himself.
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It's not puffed up. Doesn't behave?
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Rudely does not seek its own. Verse 5 is not provoked thinks.
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No evil does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the
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truth Bears, all things believes all things, hopes, all things
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endures, all things, love, never fails.
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And it's such a contrast to how most of us were raised
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understanding what love is. Pretending to love or just
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operating in the way the world said, love or what, our move
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favorite movie was or whatever music, we listen to.
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But real love is associated with sorrow, sacrifice submission, a
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giving of ourselves. The Bible would say in
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describing Jesus, Jesus would teach us this, he'd say no
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there's no greater love than this.
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Then to give up your life for a friend.
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To live in sacrifice. This love is described of a
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father here in chapter 22 of his only begotten son.
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And by the way, the phrase where he says your only son, Isaac,
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this is not, we know this doesn't, this isn't in context.
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Doesn't mean that Abraham only has only one son.
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This is an idiomatic phrase in the Bible that speaks of
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uniqueness. Isaac was his only son because
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he was the only son of promise, not that he was a Bueller sun
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and so don't let someone come and trip you up and go.
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Well here it says, he only has he's his only son.
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Isaac. What about Ishmael?
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Well, Ishmael was his only son in a different set.
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So it's not singular its unique, even as Jesus is described in
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John chapter 3, as the only begotten, He's unique.
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Now this love is describing a father of his only begotten son,
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it's describing a son's willingness to submit to his
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father as you read ahead even to the point of death even to the
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point of confusion and what does this mean?
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And why are we doing this Dad? This love is about God.
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Our Father, though, of all the applications we've looked at
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this chapter is not about application to our lives as much
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as it is to get our eyes on Christ.
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Already seeing what God is willing to do for us through the
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life of Abraham and Isaac this love is about God.
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Our Father who has an intense love for his son And an intense
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love for those that his son will be sacrificed for.
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You know, three of the four gospels when they start out,
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Heaven speaks and you hear a voice from Heaven that says,
25:35
this is my beloved Son. You see the Father's Love For
25:41
His Son? Abraham to Isaac God toward
25:46
Jesus. There's an eternal intimacy
25:48
spoken of here, a Oneness between the father and the Son
25:53
and the Holy Spirit. But it's also beyond that the
25:57
willingness of a father to offer that son.
26:04
The willingness of the son to offer his life and surrender and
26:08
to me the words don't describe. It's one of those episodes in
26:11
the Bible, it's just hard. You know the power and the
26:14
passion behind What's Happening Here.
26:18
It's incredible. Love nowhere in the Bible.
26:21
Do we find a chapter like this displaying displaying from the
26:25
father's perspective? What Calvary?
26:28
Meant to him? I mean, you have Psalm 69 and
26:33
Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22. Giving us Insight of what
26:38
Calvary meant to the sun. Remember in Psalm 22?
26:41
Why have you forsaken me? That's the sun's perspective.
26:45
That's Jesus perspective. Hangout on the cross
26:47
prophetically, but only here in Genesis 22.
26:50
Do we have the father's perspective?
26:53
And the love of the father. And all the agony and all the
26:57
heartache here in Mount Moriah. What it meant to Abraham, it was
27:02
a thousandfold meant to God the father, so notice with me.
27:06
Now in verse 3, Abraham Rose early in the morning, saddled
27:11
his donkey and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his
27:15
son, and he split the wood for the burnt offering and arose,
27:20
and went to the place of which God had told him.
27:23
And then, on the third day, Abraham lifted his eyes and saw
27:26
the place afar off and Abraham said to his young men, Stay here
27:30
with the donkey. The lad and I will go Yonder and
27:33
worship and we will come back to you.
27:38
Now, I don't want you to miss this.
27:39
If you like to ride in your Bibles, you need to mark this
27:42
and see it because we could take it for granted easily for
27:44
granted. But if you notice in verse 3, it
27:47
says so Abraham Rose early in the morning and saddled his
27:51
donkey and took two of his young men and Isaac his son, and he
27:56
split the wood and he arose and he went to the place of God.
28:00
I told him. And then on the third day,
28:02
lifted his eyes. And he saw these, the series of
28:05
words, these connecting words and Rich represent to us this
28:10
immediate obedience, obedience, baguettes, obedience, and he's
28:14
just going. He already made up his mind.
28:17
Obedience is often a decision. Followed by many other
28:20
consequential decisions. So you like, yes, I'm ready to
28:24
go. And so Kate.
28:25
Let's go, let's go. Let's go, let's go, let's go.
28:28
You get on that theme. On that, that rhythm of
28:31
obedience. And for three days, we see
28:35
Isaac. Was dead in the heart of Abraham
28:40
not physically. But he's wrestling with this.
28:44
And it wasn't until three days. And now he's lifting up his eyes
28:47
and of course you Bible. Students.
28:49
Know three days is very significant scripturally
28:51
especially surrounding the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
28:55
New Life. and it says, in verse 5, that Abraham said to his
29:00
young, men stay here and we're going to go up and we're going
29:03
to worship Any pastor at this text?
29:10
That wouldn't pause and say it's always a good thing to choose to
29:13
Worship in the midst of adversity, would do a great
29:15
disservice to this text. And so it's a great thing when
29:19
you're faced with great adversity to choose a posture in
29:22
a position of worship. And I wonder how many of you are
29:25
here, even in this moment right now and say, Pastor, that's why
29:28
I'm here. I need a posture of worship.
29:31
I need to be out of my environment, I need to step
29:33
into, I need to be with other believers.
29:36
I need to hear the word of God, I need to seeing, and if I can't
29:39
sing, I want the guy. And I want to hear the guy next
29:40
to me seeing I I need that because I'm in a posture of
29:43
worship, and at the same time, it's also important to know,
29:47
it's it's easier said than done. It's easier said than done
29:54
because I think we could all say.
29:55
I know. I need that Pastor and I know I
29:57
want that Pastor but I'm going in this direction.
30:01
And this is no small thing, like, obviously.
30:03
He's got this impossible command of God, that we kind of
30:09
understand it because we know the rest of the story, but this
30:13
Abraham has no idea what's happening.
30:16
He is living by faith. He's the father of faith and
30:21
he's living by faith. It is unknown to him the future.
30:26
He's in the step of and and and and, and he waits in silence for
30:31
three days. It was okay, we got to go up and
30:33
worship. You stay here, I'm going up with
30:37
my son. We're going to go worship
30:40
because I don't know what the future holds we're going to seek
30:42
God together. It was going to be nothing more
30:46
than an act of worship. His final step of obedience
30:50
would be worship, he knew God and wrestle with this truth.
30:55
He knew God did not believe in human sacrifice.
31:00
He knew that that's what the pagans and the false gods did.
31:05
And yet, he wrestled, No Doubt. And he's ascending the mountain
31:09
by faith and obedience. Worship.
31:14
He's not a sending the mountain. In understanding.
31:21
And perhaps the God is going to tell you and reveal to you
31:24
tonight, just how much you hold back from God because you don't
31:29
understand. As if God is obligated to give
31:35
you full understanding, so you can choose to worship Him.
31:40
And these are the questions of great significance, aren't they?
31:43
Because we're talking about pain, sacrifice and suffering,
31:46
and all the ills of this world and everything.
31:49
We're facing, what's the natural ant?
31:51
What's the big question, why? The big question of why just
31:56
understand is not a bad question to ask.
31:58
God, doesn't say, stop asking it, but just understand.
32:00
It's an information question when you ask, why you're asking
32:04
for information? And then if you don't get the
32:08
information, you're looking at your setting, you're looking
32:10
for, you're setting yourself up to be mad at God because not
32:14
only are you in pain and difficulty, but now you're upset
32:16
because he won't give you the information you want, because we
32:19
are such an information overload world that we really believe, if
32:23
we knew what God knew we'd be okay.
32:27
In our fallen condition. And if we just had information
32:32
and God would explain to us why? This is happening, why this is
32:35
going on? Why such a command, why?
32:38
Would why would God, what's just explain it to me and I'm ready?
32:42
He didn't go up the mountain with understanding he went up by
32:44
faith. He went up without understanding
32:49
and he was bent depended upon the character and nature of God
32:54
that he knew, you know, how many times were you here from this
32:58
Pulpit? How many times do you hear from
33:00
the radio listening right now that like the simple command
33:03
read your Bible and pray every day?
33:05
Why? So you can have some religious
33:07
experience like so you can say I did my religious Duty.
33:11
No. Because you need to know of the
33:14
character and nature of God. This is where you learn from
33:18
you, learn you and you don't read again, some of your
33:20
frustrating and reading the Bible.
33:21
Maybe it's the first time you ever read the Bible and you're
33:24
frustrated because you're reading it like another book,
33:26
like a book of understanding like a textbook, but it's not a
33:29
textbook. And you reading it, maybe like a
33:32
map book and it's like, one of the math tells me exactly what.
33:35
No, it's not a map book. Are you reading it like a
33:36
science book? Well, it's not a science book.
33:39
Even though everything that the Bible teaches on is accurate, if
33:43
he has, if the Bible has anything to say about science,
33:45
it's accurate but it's not. Science book.
33:48
And there's any information that God wants to give you it's
33:50
accurate, but it's not an information book.
33:52
It's a revelation book. The Bible is understood by
33:56
revelation. And steady consistent consuming
34:04
of the word. So just keep reading and keep
34:07
reading and keep reading page after page.
34:12
And just let the word of God, soak into your heart and into
34:15
your mind. And let the understanding come
34:19
as God gives you Revelation. It'll come over time, I remember
34:24
even listening to myself right now, I remember sitting in Bible
34:26
studies just like this. And I'd watch a pastor calm
34:30
around the pope and Stan, or and he wouldn't have a Bible in his
34:33
hand and he'd have so much to say so many scriptures in and
34:36
I'd sit there go. How does he do that?
34:41
How does he know that? I mean, my pastor could just off
34:45
the top of his head. Just be talking all like they
34:47
didn't need a Bible. It was all in his head.
34:50
But how did he do that? And now over time I there's no
34:53
secret Read your Bible and pray everyday.
34:58
And the more that gets into you as a mortal come out to you,
35:01
I'll tell you this. If you don't believe me, I'll
35:04
tell you this, you social media folks.
35:07
I am certain that you can remember something you saw on
35:11
social media today. I'm certain of it, some funny
35:14
things, something you favor did something, you forwarded.
35:17
Why? Because you took it in, And when
35:20
you took it in you have a tendency to remember what you
35:23
take in. It's the same with the word of
35:26
God. You take it in and on the
35:29
authority of God's word. You'll remember it and a little
35:32
bit here, a little bit there but you got to understand and why
35:36
have to understand Abraham's going up the mountain by faith.
35:40
And faith and obedience lead to worship.
35:46
And even if God was explaining everything to just to say, God
35:49
gave dumped into Abraham, the whole, the whole Bible leading
35:55
up to the Cross, do you really think with that knowledge?
35:59
Abraham would have been able to understand it.
36:03
He wasn't ready. He was ready for this but he
36:06
wasn't ready for that. And the same is true in your
36:09
like, you're ready for this and your life today, but whatever's
36:13
up ahead. You're not ready for it yet
36:15
because you're not there yet and God's preparing, you along the
36:18
way. And let me just say this to,
36:21
this is so encouraging. Like that's why I had to slow
36:23
down. You can't compare the Abraham in
36:28
chapter 22, with the Abraham of 10 chapters earlier, they're
36:32
different men. They're profoundly different
36:35
men. Same name but this is a
36:37
different man the earlier versions of Abraham has him.
36:41
What bargaining with God? Remember at Sodom judgment was
36:45
going to come and what was Abraham's posture?
36:47
Oh please no no no what? If there's so many righteous in
36:50
there, please don't do it. God like he took the position of
36:52
no, don't do it. That's not him today.
36:57
And don't you think this would be a more important thing to
36:58
bargain with God? No, no, no, there's gotta be
37:02
another way I'd what do you do? Not know, he didn't bargain with
37:04
God obedience, he went from that place and I think you know, the
37:08
bargain with God was the maturity.
37:09
He was at at the at the time when I look down on for that,
37:12
that's just where he was at even in your life right now.
37:15
This is the maturity where you are right now.
37:17
Don't look down. This is where you're at and
37:19
you'll continue to grow as you present yourself to the Lord you
37:22
will. You will grow time and testing.
37:24
That's how we grow. Tell relationships, grow.
37:26
No friendships grow its how Believers grow time and testing
37:29
no shortcuts and so earlier versions of Abraham had him
37:33
arguing arguing or bargaining with God.
37:36
But today he's obedience in the face of impossibility.
37:42
It can only imagine what's going on in his mind and his heart and
37:46
his emotions, my son. We waited so long to miraculous
37:52
son, I love him so much. But Abraham had listened,
37:56
Abraham has come to a place in his life where he trust the Lord
38:01
completely, what that means. This is where he's at and I
38:07
believe as we wind down today that the Ultimate Gold maturity
38:11
is to reach a place where regardless of what you're
38:13
thinking and regardless of what you emotionally going through in
38:16
life, you obey. Let me repeat that for you.
38:22
I believe the ultimate goal of spiritual maturity is to reach
38:26
that place or regardless of what you're thinking and regardless
38:29
of what you emotionally, you're feeling and what's going on in
38:32
your life. You obey.
38:38
You arrive at the maturity to realize that, man, you get up
38:42
first thing in the morning and you are ready to serve the Lord.
38:47
The consciousness of God with you, wherever you go.
38:50
Wherever God has you. You won't deal with it later.
38:54
You won't delay. You won't bargain.
38:59
You just trust in the Lord with all your heart.
39:03
I've learned personally that if I don't obey God, if I delay
39:07
just causes so much pain. And I end up obeying anyway.
39:13
Like it is the right choice, but I put up such a fight in the
39:16
beginning, and I'm like, okay, okay, okay, you're right.
39:19
But now, I got to deal with the consequences of Disobedience.
39:22
When God was right, all along. And I love this because there's
39:27
the again in the end of verse 5 is all, we're going to look at.
39:30
So he's going up to worship. The sacrifice is going to be a
39:33
place of worship. It's all worship, not just like
39:36
going up to sing songs, he realized it's all worship.
39:40
And he tells his servants, we will come back to you. and
39:46
there's only Really two ways, they can come back.
39:53
Either what God asks of Abraham happens.
39:58
And God brings his son back to life, a belief in the
40:01
resurrection. Or God will intervene in his
40:06
life. And I don't think Abraham had
40:07
that one in his mind. I think he believed in the
40:10
resurrection. Which is even hard for us in the
40:13
21st century to just come to terms with.
40:16
That's why there's a lot of critics that don't like this
40:19
chapter and it makes sense that the critics don't like this
40:22
chapter because it speaks of the ultimate sacrifice on your
40:25
behalf and my bath but looking at the ingredients of what kind
40:30
of God, Would call someone to sacrifice his own child.
40:36
Again, the you got to keep reading the Bible, got to keep
40:39
reading before you ask that question, at least finish the
40:42
chapter and you see it was a testing, not a Temptation Of The
40:46
Devil. It was a testing of God.
40:48
It was a lesson of Revelation. And I hope you leave here
40:53
wanting to know what's in your heart.
40:55
We know what the Bible says the heart is deceitfully, wicked.
40:58
You know it. We are, we have a posture
41:01
sometimes in sin against God, but I hope you want to know.
41:07
I hope you want revelation so God can deal with things in your
41:10
heart. I hope you want to know.
41:19
What the Lord sees in you? So that he can deal with it.
41:28
I hope you're open. To grow in your relationship of
41:33
faith. That even the most wild tests.
41:37
Are just used by God to draw you in closer intimacy with him?
41:42
Because again, the whole pattern here of this chapter is is under
41:46
the banner of love. And you can read ahead.
41:50
You don't need to wait. You can read the rest of the
41:52
chapter. I'll tell you the rest of the
41:53
chapter Abraham doesn't sacrifice Isaac.
41:57
Because we learned that God provided for himself a
41:58
sacrifice. So he doesn't sacrifice him.
42:02
That's not what this is about. It's about the revelation of the
42:06
love of God. And then we look at the Bible in
42:09
a mirror and we think, man, I don't think I'm ever going to
42:12
have that kind of faith. I don't think I'm ever going to
42:14
be that strong. I don't think.
42:15
I'm know Abraham was filled with failure and all kinds of issues.
42:20
We've learned that in our study of him, and you will grow in
42:22
your faith, that's God's will for your life.
42:26
You might even look. I don't think I could ever and
42:28
you just have to sacrifice that. What do you mean?
42:30
You don't think you could ever God can do for you?
42:33
What you can't do for yourself? But if you tie your just holding
42:38
on and I'm too, I could never. Of course, you could never, you
42:42
have to release and sacrifice. You got surrender.
42:45
You got to embrace even the pain.
42:46
You're going to face and you got to say God, I to soar hurts so
42:49
much. I can't believe it.
42:51
But now once you reveal it to me, I can lay it on the Altar
42:54
and I can walk away from it and it can be in the past and God
42:58
can begin the work of healing in your heart, like you can be a
43:01
fundamentally different person. As a born-again woman and a
43:06
born-again man in Christ and what he has begun in you the
43:10
Bible says he is faithful to complete it until the day of
43:14
Jesus Christ and Abraham is a great example of that.
43:20
And if you're here among us today, and you have never
43:23
surrendered your life to Jesus Christ today, is that day.
43:27
This is not these things were learning about this man.
43:30
Abraham belong to the children of God to men and women who by
43:36
spiritual birth, right? You know, spiritual birth right?
43:39
You know how the Bible describes?
43:39
That probably a phrase, you've heard your whole life for men
43:42
and women that are born again. That's your spiritual birth,
43:46
right? You must come out of, not only
43:49
physical birth, but you also must have spiritual birth and
43:53
how does that occur? By admitting that you've sinned
43:56
against a holy and righteous God.
44:00
That to this point in your life. You have gone in a pathway away
44:05
from God, even if you consider yourself a good person even if
44:10
you would be an upright moral person.
44:12
Even if even if you you have that sense of wanting to follow
44:17
God and be a good person. Great, that's wonderful.
44:21
We need more good people in the world but the standard that God
44:25
requires is not just merely your definition or my definition of
44:28
good, it's perfection. And by that definition, we can
44:33
all agree with what the Bible teaches, we have all sinned and
44:37
fallen short of the glory of God, all of us.
44:41
And yet there's a remedy for that the blood of Jesus Christ,
44:45
the sacrifice of a loving father, Who sends his son on our
44:49
behalf. So that today, if you will
44:53
confess with your mouth, the Lord Jesus, and believe in your
44:56
heart, that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
44:59
That's to you in the Overflow room, or down in the cafe.
45:02
That's to you on the radio on YouTube or wherever you're
45:06
watching on your phone. Your tablet.
45:08
You're in a prison cell right now.
45:10
The love of God is reached you Even if you're watching in Saudi
45:14
Arabia, God loves you. Sent his son.
45:16
Jesus Christ to die for you. He loves you that much.
45:20
And your response is man. What great love?
45:23
I want a relationship with this God, that loves me.
45:27
I want to learn sacrifice, I want to learn to embrace the
45:32
will of God for my life in a very difficult world. and so
45:37
father, I pray right now as we come to the end of this little
45:41
section, as we learn about the testing of Abraham, As we learn
45:47
of his worship and obedience and faith and part of me, Lord, I
45:51
just feel so small. Next to Abraham and many ways.
45:56
I don't have this level of faith in my life yet.
46:01
And yet, lord, it's as I look back, I learned that you brought
46:04
me so far. And you haven't brought me this
46:07
far so that it all just stops. As I just pray that into the
46:12
lives of your Saints tonight that you haven't brought them
46:15
this far so that they just are abandoned by you.
46:20
You're going to continue to grow and work in their lives.
46:23
But I also pray for those that for the very first time, Would
46:28
need to surrender their life. And Believe on the Lord, Jesus
46:32
Christ for the Salvation of their souls.
46:35
And I would just say if you're here today and you say Ed, I
46:37
want to follow God. I want to I want to do what
46:41
you're talking to. I want to turn away from my sin
46:44
and I want to follow God with my life.
46:46
I'm going to ask you, right where you are.
46:48
Would you stand to your feet? I want to pray with you.
46:51
God bless you over here. Who else would say?
46:52
That's me. It was a Wednesday night that I
46:55
responded just like this. It was a midweek.
46:57
Bible study, Pastor teaching, a Bible study and the Book of
47:01
Revelation, remember what he said, but I do remember this.
47:03
The love of God, got me that night.
47:07
And I always love to share this because I felt like that night,
47:10
I just didn't think knowing where I came from and what I was
47:14
into and all the stuff I didn't think, I thought love the God,
47:17
could love all the people in that room.
47:19
There's probably 4,000 people 3,000 people in that room.
47:23
But he wasn't, he couldn't love me.
47:28
Because my past is so bad, it wasn't even my past at the time,
47:31
it was my present. Maybe that's you.
47:39
Stop. It's not even my past man, so
47:40
I'm might today. God meets you today.
47:46
He loves you today. You can receive the Forgiveness
47:50
of your sin and then removal of guilt and shame.
47:54
Today, it's not a fact. Did you know, the Bible says
47:57
today is the day of salvation, it's today.
48:02
So whether you're near or far, I want to help you do what the
48:05
Bible says, the confess with your mouth.
48:07
So you can have one of the reasons why we asked for this
48:09
open responses. So you have in your mind, the
48:12
day, the moment where, you know that, you know, that, you know,
48:17
Because the enemy will come after you.
48:18
Y'all you're not really saved. Oh you're not.
48:20
You know. Look at you and look at your
48:22
life. You can just know by faith.
48:25
No way God has done this work. So you can say this and say God,
48:31
I admit that I sinned against you and I ask you to forgive me
48:36
of my sins. I believe you sent Jesus.
48:43
To live for me to die for me. And I believe Jesus rose again
48:51
from the dead. To save my soul.
48:58
And I turn away from my sinful past and choose to follow you.
49:06
From this day forward. Help me God to live the rest of
49:12
my life for you. In Jesus name.
49:17
Amen. And amen.
49:19
We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible.
49:22
Study delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church for
49:25
prayer. Call us at 877, 30 Grace.
49:30
That's eight 77304, 2:53 to listen to this message in its
49:36
entirety or to join us for our live stream Services.
49:40
Visit us online at Calvary Co dot church or download our free
49:45
Calvary Church app. Be blessed as you worship Jesus
49:48
this week. Be blessed as you worship Jesus
49:48
this week.