How far would you go in your obedience to the Lord? Abraham was called and was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac. We are called to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. Take a look.
Genesis 22: The Sacrifice of Isaac
1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I."
2 He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.
5 Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you."
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.
7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"
8 Abraham said, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I."
12 He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 So Abraham called the name of that place, "The LORD will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided."
15 And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven
16 and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,
18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice."
19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.
20 Now after these things it was told to Abraham, "Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:
21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,
22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel."
23 (Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
24 Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
Genesis 23: Sarah's Death and Burial
1 Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.
2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites,
4 "I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight."
5 The Hittites answered Abraham,
6 "Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead."
7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land.
8 And he said to them, "If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar,
9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place."
10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city,
11 "No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead."
12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land.
13 And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, "But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there."
14 Ephron answered Abraham,
15 "My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead."
16 Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over
18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city.
19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
20 The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.
Things to think about…
1. We are called to be living sacrifices. Here Abraham offers up his son to be Killed and then burnt. The burning of children in the fires of Molech was an abomination, but here Abraham is tested to offer up the one thing that is most dear to him – his son. Look at Gen 22:5. He believed that they would both return and come down from the mountain – hence Abraham believed that the Lord could raise his son from the dead if required, Heb 11:17-19. Of course the parallels with God the Father offering up His Son Jesus who was raised from the dead are clearly evident, as we considered on Sunday morning. The same mountain of Moriah was the place for both sacrifices.
2. In Gen 22:17 Abraham has the covenant confirmed again that his descendants would be compared to the number of stars. This promise was given to him 25 years earlier. The Lord promises us eternal life though Christ. Our calling is to make disciples and in this way we are part of the blessing of Abraham increasing the spiritual descendants who are part of the covenant blessing given to Abraham 4000 years ago.
3. The cave which Abraham bought for 400 silver shekels off Ephron the Hittite is called the cave of the Patriarchs. It is still in Hebron to this day and may be visited by pilgrims to Israel, Gen 23. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Rachel and Leah were buried there. Like the temple Mount it is governed by the Muslim Waqf – non Jews are free to visit. Jews are allowed 10 days per year to visit. This is to minimise tensions at the site. Praise God we have peace in Christ Jesus.
Vision Point
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Questions for Cell groups
Sunday’s sermon, “The legacy of Abraham” came from Gen 12 by Doug Horne.
1. In your own words what legacy do you think Abraham has left on the earth? Discuss the significance and challenges within each faith group of Jewish, Muslim and Christian believers and the challenges associated with how they relate to each other.
2. Abraham’s legacy was represented through the request to sacrifice his only son Isaac. This is represented through God offering up Christ as our sacrifice. When the Lord said that Abraham’s children would be greater in number than the stars, was he referring to nations or believers in Christ? Discuss.
3. Doug spoke about the legacy that we leave and gave a heartfelt testimony of his father, who is about to enter glory and how he is leaving a legacy marked with grace and the gospel of Jesus. What legacy are you leaving, or what legacy would you like to leave?
3. Pray for your cell group and prayer/praise points. Pray for our “Blessing Beirut” appeal as we endeavour to help these ‘sons of Abraham’.
Prayer Points
1. Pray for Lebanon and the people of Beirut with this accidental blast from the storage of ammonium nitrate. 157 confirmed dead. 5000 wounded, 300, 000 left homeless. $10 - $15 billion to rebuild.
2. Pray for those who heard the gospel on Sunday. Pray for Christ to grant them salvation.
3. Pray for Victoria they are in stage 4 lockdown. Curfews and very strict travel restrictions in place for 4 weeks.
4. Pray for our church services now meeting together and our streaming that both can continue to be done well every Sunday.
5. Continue to pray for our government for wisdom and economic management.
6. Sunday’s messages and for Kids church. The message this week – “God blessed anyway” Gen 27 – Ps Jay.
7. Church finances to meet our expenses and to put a roof over our café.
8. Our City and Country – Pray for revival over our city and the leadership of our country even through these challenging times.
Praise Points.
1. New visitors. Please pray that they receive Christ as their Saviour. Pray they keep coming back to CBC.
2. Wonderful spirit of joy in our church. Thankyou Jesus.
3. Finances being maintained and donation to Café roof. Thankyou!
1. We have established a “Blessing Beirut” fund. Pray we can find a gospel centered ministry to bless the people of Beirut as they rebuild.
2. One service at 9:30am Every Sunday morning. This service will also be live streamed. No kisses, hand-shakes or hugs are allowed. Hand sanitizer is to be used, tables will be wiped and chairs arranged for appropriate distancing. Families can of course sit together. CBC is allowed up to 50 people inside, then we will have an overflow in the house and Kids church will be in the crèche in the cafe.
3. Cell groups – Ask for details as to how and what is required.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Kids Church will be run in the house when the message starts.
Q. 15. What do we pray for in the fifth petition? A. That God would pardon our sins for Christ's sake, and enable us to forgive those who have wronged us.
