Sermon - Judica 2022 - Genesis 22:1-14

Abraham Sacrificing Isaac, Laurent de La Hyre, 1650

Alright, listen up, better pay attention, there’s going to be a test. No, I’m not going to ask you questions and give you a grade, however the Lord does test us. God tests His people in order to strengthen their faith in Him. “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Thus, as we heard in Genesis: “God tested Abraham and said to him… “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.” God tested Abraham by making sure that he believed His Word and would keep it. 

Can you imagine how Abraham would’ve felt! I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d gotten sick or passed out upon hearing this command. A burnt offering was one of the most involved and gory sacrifices. It was more than just killing and burning the lamb, it was more like what a butcher does with an animal, except that the cut up pieces were burnt to ashes upon the altar. That’s what Abraham was commanded to do with his son Isaac! It’s enough to turn your stomach just sitting here thinking about it.

Isaac wasn’t just any child, he was Abraham and Sarah’s only child, conceived and born when Abraham was 100 years old, and from him the Messiah was promised to eventually come. He was a miracle baby! God had promised that Isaac would be Abraham’s heir and the father of a great nation. On top of that, God had forbidden human sacrifice which the pagans practiced (and is still practiced today, by the way, abortion is child sacrifice). Now God commanded Abraham to kill, chop up, and burn his only beloved son from whom the Savior of the world would come!

With a broken heart what did Abraham do? “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.” For three days they journeyed to the mountain with this burden weighing heavily upon Abraham’s heart.

Now Isaac wasn’t a little boy anymore, he was somewhere between 13 and 25, and Abraham wasn’t a young man anymore, since he was over 100. So Isaac, carrying the heavy load of wood up the mountain asked his father the rather pressing question: “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham, probably choking back tears, answered with faith: “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” God will provide, that was Abraham’s hope. He told his young men that he and Issac would go and worship, and that they both would return. Abraham maintained faith in God’s promises about the Savior coming through his son so that he believed that Isaac would survive this ordeal, even if it meant God raising him from the dead.

Both Abraham and Isaac were tested here when Abraham bound Isaac and laid him on the altar and lifted the knife. Abraham was tested in his submission to God, and Isaac was tested in his submission to both his earthly father and his heavenly Father. Isaac didn’t go kicking and screaming, but willingly, like his father Abraham.

At the last possible moment, an angel of the Lord said to Abraham: “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.” Abraham had remained faithful to God, he had believed God’s promises and done what God told him. And God was faithful to His promises and to Abraham, Isaac, and all of us: He provided a ram, crowned in thorns, for the burnt offering in place of Isaac. 

Of course God was testing Abraham, and therefore Isaac never would’ve been sacrificed upon that mountain, the Lord was always going to provide a lamb. But it gives us a glimpse into what our heavenly Father had to pay in order to atone for our sins. The Father offered up His only begotten Son, the Lamb of God, perfect and without blemish, in order to take our place upon the cross. His death wasn’t by force, He didn’t go kicking and screaming, but the Lamb of God went uncomplaining forth, the guilt of sinners bearing. 

Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus is the only begotten Son of the Father, and Jesus is the only One who was offered up to death for the sins of the world. Jesus was always going to be the sacrificial Lamb, it was never going to be Isaac. Abraham’s test therefore wasn’t so much about his willingness and ability to kill his own child, any monster can do that, but his test was to believe and trust God’s promises and live according to God’s commands. God tested Abraham in order to strengthen him.

God continues to test us today. Jesus says quite plainly: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Jesus’ confrontation in our Gospel reading centers around belief in God’s Word. The Jews couldn’t bear to hear the words of Jesus, what He said was too offensive, too weird, too difficult, too truthful for them. Because the Jews He was speaking to were of their father the devil, the father of lies, they couldn’t stomach the truth.

The test for us today is to hear the Word of God, believe it, and keep it. “Whoever is of God hears the words of God.” Instead of being like the Jews who can’t stomach God’s Word, we are to be like Abraham who hears the Word of God and keeps it. Even when God’s Word is offensive, weird, difficult, and harshly truthful, the test for us is that we keep it.

This is much easier said than done because it’s not always obvious when God’s testing us. For instance, Jesus says that anyone who keeps His Word will never see death. Do you actually believe that? Like Abraham and Isaac, when death confronts you head-on, do you trust God’s word of promise or does the sting of death scare you away from faithfulness? Are you actually willing to keep the vows you made at confirmation? “Do you intend to live according to the Word of God, and in faith, word, and deed to remain true to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even to Death? Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it?”

We’ve made serious vows to remain faithful to the Word of God even to the point of death. We’ve promised to not forsake gathering together, because that’s a command of God in the scriptures, this assembly which we’re doing today is a necessary part of Christianity; are we willing to die before missing this? Christians in bygone days refused to burn a pinch of incense to Caesar and they were martyred for it; are we willing to die instead of participate in the lies of our nation? Abraham and Isaac were willing to put faithfulness to God’s Word ahead of their lives and pleasures, are we? Are we willing to put faithfulness to God’s Word ahead of ourselves, our jobs, our friends, our family, our schools, our hobbies, our games, our reputations? 

I hope that the answer to all of those questions I’ve asked are a resounding yes! These are the tests God gives us today, let us meet them with faithfulness. Faithfulness to God and His Word isn’t easy, it never has been, just look at what Abraham and Isaac had to do! The challenges we’re facing today aren’t easy. We have to make some difficult and unpopular decisions. But as difficult as faithfulness may be, there is nothing better and more important than remaining faithful to God!

Through the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God the Father, He has purified our consciences from dead works to serve the living God. We who have been called by Him through His Word have been redeemed from our sins and are heirs of the heavenly Jerusalem. The Lord has provided the Lamb for the sacrifice, He has kept His promises, He is faithful. He promises that if we remain faithful unto death we will receive the crown of eternal life. 

So yes, pay attention, there’s a test, and you’re already living the test right now. Be encouraged by Abraham and Isaac’s faithfulness in meeting the Lord’s test. Be strengthened by Jesus’ faithfulness unto death, who has paid with His own blood our redemption price. God bless you with strong faith to trust God’s Word and hope in Him whose promises are true and steadfast.