Genesis, chapter 15, John Newton once said, I'm not what I ought to be, I'm not what I want to be, I'm
not what I will be one day by His grace, but I thank God I'm not what I used to be. He's
done a work of grace in my heart. And I think, borrowing Newton's words, we'll
say, I don't love Christ like I ought to. I don't love Christ
like I'd like to. And I don't love Christ like
I will someday. But I do love Christ, and you
do too. And I might add this too, I don't
believe like I ought to. Do you? The disciples ask our Lord,
Lord increase our faith. Increase our faith. I don't believe
like I ought to. Don't believe like I want to.
And I certainly don't believe like I will one day. But I do believe. I do. By His grace, I believe. I can
say with that centurion, I can definitely before God say, Lord,
I do believe. But I have to, comma, help thou
mine unbelief. And what I want to do tonight
is try to help us on this subject of faith. the life and walk of
faith. And any message that you preach
on the subject of faith almost has to begin with Abraham. Almost
has to. Because the very first time that
the word believe is used in this Bible, it's used in reference
to this man, Abraham. He wasn't the first believer.
Abel believed God. by faith, able. He didn't believe
God, he walked with God. He had this testimony that he
pleased God. And the next, you read that,
the next verse tells you how he pleased God. He believed God. That's how faith pleases God,
unbelief. That's the reason Israel couldn't
enter the Promised Land, unbelief. That's the sole reason they didn't
believe God. They didn't believe. It says
here in Genesis 15, verse 1, After these things the word of
the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am
thy shield, thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord
God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the
steward of my house is Eliezer, of Damascus, and Abram said,
Behold, to me thou hast given no seed, and, lo, one born in
my house, a servant, is my heir. And, behold, the word of the
Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir, no servant
shall be thine heir, but either shall come forth out of thine
own bowels shall be thine And God brought him forth abroad,
and said, Look now, look towards the heavens, and tell the stars,
if thou be able to number them. And he said to Abraham, So shall
thy seed be. Believers like you, the family
of God like you, so shall thy seed be. And it says here, and
he believed in the Lord. He believed God. And he counted
it to him for righteousness. Now these old Jews back here,
especially in the days of our Lord, they claimed a relationship
with God through Abraham because they were his natural seed. If
you turn to John 8, John chapter 8, I'll give you an example.
These people were descendants of Abraham, and therefore they
claimed a relationship with God in the favor of God, because
they were Abraham's seed. And they used that scripture
I just read, when God showed Abraham the stars and said, so
shall his seed be. But now, we're going to learn
something here. In John chapter 8, Verse 36, Our Lord said to
them, If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. I know you are Abraham's seed,
that is, descendants, Abraham's children, sons. You came from
Ishmael and Isaac. But you seek to kill me because
my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen
with my father, and you do that which you have seen with your
father." He's talking about their father, the devil. But they answered
and said, Abraham's our father. We're the seed, the children
of Abraham. Being the children of Abraham,
we're the children of God. That's what they're saying. Abraham's
our father, and Jesus said, if you were Abraham's children,
you'd do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me,
a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of
God, and this did not Abraham." Now, who is the seed of Abraham,
and who are the children of Abraham? Well, let's turn to Galatians
3, and Paul clears this matter up. And Paul tells us who they
are. While you're turning to Galatians
3, let me read you what he said in Romans. You turn to Galatians
3. But Paul said in Romans 2, verse
28, He's not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision
which is outward in the flesh. A man's not a Jew, he's not an
Israelite because by human seed and natural genealogy goes back
to Abram. But verse 29 said he's a Jew,
he's an Israelite, he's a son of Abraham which is one inwardly.
And circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, in the
letter, not in the letter, not in the letter, whose praise is
not of men but of God. Now Galatians 3, let me show
you this and then I want to bring out some things from Genesis.
In Galatians 3 verse 6, Even as Abraham believed God,
and it was counted to him for righteousness, know ye therefore
that they which are of faith, the same were the children of
Abraham. The man is not the son of Abraham because he's Christ
is his ancestry, heritage. A man is a child of Abraham. He can call Abraham his father,
who is a believer like Abraham. Now look at verse 26 through
29. For you are the children of God
by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ. And there is in Christ
neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither bond nor free, there's
neither male nor female. You are all one in Christ. And
if you be Christ, if you belong to Him, in Him, redeemed by Him,
then are you Abraham's seed. And you're heirs of the, according
to the promise and of the promise, the sure mercies of David. If
you're a believer, Now look back at verse 16. Just looking at
the stars. Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. Not to seeds. Not to seeds as
of many, but as of one. To thy seed which is Christ. In Christ all the promises of
God are yea and amen. See, the promises are made to
Christ. In Christ. Isaac is a type of
Christ, and through Abraham and Isaac was born Christ, the Son
of God. Isaac is the promised son, the
miracle child. So turn to one other scripture,
Romans 4, about Abraham. Romans chapter 4. In Romans chapter 4, You know, verse 1, what shall
we say then that Abraham, our father, he's my father. He's
the father of every believer. I'm of the children of Abraham,
so are you, by faith. Well, what shall we say then
that Abraham, our father, is pertaining to the flesh, hath
found? Paul's talking about these natural Jews here. If Abraham
were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before
God. But what sayeth the Scriptures?
Abraham believed God. It was counted to him for righteousness.
Therefore, verse 16, now here's the verse. Therefore it, grace,
mercy, salvation, redemption, is of faith, that it might be
by grace to the end that the promise might be sure to all
to see, not to that only which is of the law, that is, the Jews,
but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is
the father of us all, as it is written, I have made thee a father
of many nations, before him whom he believed, even God, even God,
who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be
not as though they were." So tonight on this subject, the
walk, the life and walk of faith, I want to look at Genesis 22. I believe this is one of the
most critical times in this man, Abraham, the man of faith, in
his life. I think these first 14 verses
reveal much about the faith of Abraham and much to us on this
subject of faith. The faith of Abraham. All right,
let's look at, I have nine statements I want to give you, and you can
write them down if you'd like to, but I believe It'll help
us on this subject of faith. All right, it says in verse 1,
And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham. Now, the first statement I'm
going to make concerning faith is this. Faith has a foundation. Faith has a foundation. Faith
is not just some some attitude, or a fancy, or
fad. Faith has a foundation. And that
foundation is laid by God, by the grace and power of God. That's
what he's saying here, after these things. We come to this
study of faith after these things. After what things? Well, number
one, God called Abraham. God called Abraham. Abraham was
in idolatry. Abraham wasn't worshiping the
living God. He was with his father and brothers
and family, worshiping a false god. And God visited him in grace. And God called him, and God said,
Abraham, get thee out of thy father's house, and from thy
country to land I will show thee. God awakened him, quickened him,
called him, regenerated him. That's right. And the same thing
is true of us. Whom the Lord foreknew, He predestinated
to be conformed to the image of His Son. Whom He predestinated,
He called. So that's it. We come into this
study of faith, but it's after God called Him. Supernaturally,
powerfully, by His Spirit, He called Him. Over in Ephesians
it says, In whom you trusted after you heard the word of truth. the gospel of your salvation.
That's the first foundation of faith, it's a divine call. And
then this is another part of the foundation of faith, a divine
revelation. God took Abraham out and told
him, Abraham talked about the fact he had no seed. He said,
I'm an old man. I've got no seed. I've got no
seed, no heir. A servant in my house is my heir."
And God said, Now Abraham, come with me. And He took him out
and showed him the stars. And the millions, the multitude
of stars. And He said, Abraham, I'm going
to make a covenant. And I'm going to bring out of
your own bowels an heir. And you're going to have a people
of all nations Make you the father of many nations, like the stars
in the sky. That's my covenant. And I believe
before man exercises faith in a life of faith, and a walk of
faith, and a rest of faith, these things have to take place. He's
got to be called. And he's got to have revealed
to him who it is that's doing the work. Who it is that has the purpose. in which he's included, who it
is that made the covenant, who it is that accomplished this
glorious covenant. You understand? In other words, before a man
can sue for mercy, he's got to have some understanding of who
gives mercy. And then the third thing God
revealed to Abraham, go back to Genesis 15. Genesis 15 no genocide. I'm sorry
Genesis 21 back to verse Genesis 21 And he made this clear and
plain to Abraham Clear and plain In Genesis 21 now listen Genesis
21 Verse 9 and Saviour saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian which
she had born to Abraham mocking Therefore she said to Abraham,
Cast out this bondwoman and her son. This is of your doings,
your doings, your planning, my planning, and he's got to go.
For this son of the bondwoman is not going to be in here with
my son Isaac. Cast him out. And this was grievous
in Abraham's sight because of his son, because he thought a
lot of him, loved him. God said, Abraham, Get this straight. Let it not be grievous in thy
sight because of the lad, because of the bondwoman. In all that
Saviour said to you, hearken to her voice. Don't ever forget this. In Isaac,
his seed's gone. In Christ. And all of the things
of our doing and our making, got to go. That's exactly what
Paul said in Philippians 3, he said, I count all things but
dawn, that I may win Christ. It's not my profession, or my
baptism, or my doctrine, or my learning, or my accomplishments,
or my deeds, or my giving, or anything. It's Christ. In Christ, your seed is called.
Now, after these things. But that foundation's got to
be laid. You can't move a peg if those things aren't absolutely
clear in our minds and in our hearts. Number one, God called
me. God called me. God made a covenant. And that covenant was made with
me in Christ. All right? That's just it. Isn't
that it, John? That's the foundation of faith.
And you can't compromise on one of those issues. Not a single
one of those issues cannot be compromised or faith is out the
window. Can't be. All right, back to
Genesis 22. So after these things, all these
things took place in these previous chapters. After these things,
God did test Abraham. Here's the second thing about
faith. Faith has a foundation and in faith will and must be
tried. One of the apostles said, think
it not strange when fiery trials come upon you, as though some
unusual thing was happening to you. I hear preachers, uninformed,
untaught preachers, and there are so many of them, talk about
prosperity and success. and health and giddiness and
total happiness of religion, how trials are not of God, sickness
is not of God, failure is not of God, death is not of God,
storms are not of God. But I'll tell you this, of this
one thing I am absolutely confident, if our faith is genuine saving
faith, If it is the gift of God, which Paul said in Ephesians
chapter 2, faith is the gift of God, not of work. That faith
will be tried. It'll be severely tried. It'll
be strongly tried. That's just so. And if it's not
tried, then you're not a son of God. Now let me show you that
in the Scriptures. Let's turn first of all to John
16. This is our Lord speaking to
His disciples. in John chapter 16. He told them
back here in the first part of chapter 16 that in verse 1 he
said, These things have I spoken unto you, that ye shall not be
offended. They'll put you out of the synagogues. Time comes
that whosoever kills you will think he's doing God a service.
Every one of these apostles, every one of them with the exception
of one, was killed, was martyred. And these things will I do unto
you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these
things have I told you, that when the time shall come, you
may remember that I told you of them." I told you about it. Look at verse 33. These things
have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In
the world, you're going to have tribulation, trouble, trouble. Give good cheer, I've overcome
the world. When Paul talked about young people marrying, he said,
let them marry. Marriage is not a sin. The bed
is holy and undefiled in God's sight. Marriage is holy. But
he said, they're going to have trouble. Tell them that. They're
going to have trouble in the flesh. Trouble in the flesh. Trouble. God promises it. Trouble. Look at Hebrews 12. And this is what I said a moment
ago, actually. Actually, don't ask God not to
try you. I know this is a temptation.
But let me tell you something, you may escape the trials of
this life. But if you escape the trials
in this life, you'll get plenty of them in the next one. I just take your choice. If you
want the health and wealth and happiness in this world, read
Psalm 73. The people who have that, David
said, I saw their end, and it wasn't pleasant. That's just plain. That's being
plain and clear and candid. If you want a life without unhappiness
and without sorrow and without trial, without sickness, you
may have it. You'll have a tough time in the
one to come. Now that's what this says in Hebrews 12. You
listen. Verse 5. You have forgotten the exhortation
which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not
the chastening of the Lord. Don't faint when you're rebuked
of him. For whom the Lord loveth, he
chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If you
endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons. What son
is he whom the Lord chasteneth not? But now, if you be without
chastisement, if you go through this life on the shaded side,
on the downhill side, with no problems, if you be without chastisement,
where of all the partakers, you're a bastard, you're not a son. That's pretty clear, isn't it?
That's pretty clear. Faith has got to be tried. It's
got to be tried to prove the genuineness of it. It's got to
be tried to prove to us the object of it. We just need it. In 1 Peter 1, let's look at this. 1 Peter 1, 6. I'm trying to speak
plainly. I'm talking to me as well as
to you. He says in verse 6 of 1 Peter
1, wherein we're kept by the power of God, wherein you greatly
rejoice, though now for a season, for a while, if need be, you're
in heaviness, heaviness, through many trials, that the trial of
your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though
it be tried with fire, might be found to the praise and honor
and glory at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, true
faith will be severely tried. Severely tried. And it's from
God. It's from God. There's nothing
that happens in our lives that's not from our God. He is the first
cause of all things. Even instruments or second causes. God's the first cause. And when
we want to study trial, we study the life of Job. And God permitted
all these things to come for His glory. All right, here's
the third thing about faith. Back to our text. Genesis 22. Faith has a foundation. Faith
will be tried. In verse 2, And the Lord said,
Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest,
and get thee into the Mount of Moriah, and offer him there.
For a burnt offering upon one of the mountains I'll tell thee
of." The third thing about faith, faith loves Christ more than
anyone else. The object of our faith is our
God. And I don't know whether to use
the word love or our devotion, our commitment, our compassion,
our affection, our love is His. And everyone else is second.
Everything and everyone. That's just so. Our Lord said
that if you love mother, father, husband, wife, brother, sister,
son or daughter, or your own life, more than me, you're not
worthy of me. He's our first love. That's what
the book of Revelation said. Don't leave your first love,
your first love. Brother Walter Gruber said to
me one time, just jokingly, he said, remember way back when
Betty and I got married, I was number one. And then our first
child was born, I was number two. And then our next child
was born, I was number three. And on down to five of them,
and I was number five. And then the grandchildren started
coming. And he said, I think I'm number sixteen now. I was
the first love. Now we got to watch that in reference
to our Master. He's our first love. And a believer
loves. A believer is truly a person
who loves. He that loveth not knoweth not
God. But believers love. They love one another. They love
their children. They love their wives. I hear
somebody say concerning his wife when they talk about splitting
up, say, I never did love you. Then you're a lost man. A man
that doesn't love his wife is a lost man. He doubts that. Believers love their wives and
love their children, and they love their families. They'd lay
down their lives for their families. There's not a man or woman in
this congregation that wouldn't lay down his life without even
a question for one of his children or grandchildren. There wouldn't
even be a question. Not a question. But I tell you
this, when it comes to Christ, No matter how much we love him,
we love him more. And that's what he's saying.
He says, Abraham, take now. Now! This is not something to
be debated. I'm not even going to give you
any time to think about it. Because this is now. Take now your son. Your son. Your dearest possession. Wouldn't you say that your children
are your dearest possession? Dearest possession, without a
question. That's right. Your only son. There's not going to be any more.
The old man's not going to have another one whom you love. And you get to the land of Moriah
and you offer him. You know God can take whoever
He pleases, when He pleases. He can take them. But he's not
going to take Isaac. Abraham is going to give him
up. That's faith. He's not going
to take him. No, he's not going to take him. He says, you offer
him. Isn't that the word? You offer
him. Offer him, willingly. Now that's
faith that's got to come to that place. It's just got to. And I know it's a severe and
hard and difficult place. But I tell you, when he put Isaac
on that altar, willingly offered him, God revealed the substitute
to him when he offered him up. And that's where we've got, that's
faith now. Faith is obedient. It's obedient. There weren't
any argument, there were no objections, there was no debate on Abraham's
part, there's no delay. God didn't argue with him. Abraham,
hear my Lord, take your son, whom you love, your only son,
and go to a place I'll show you, and offer him up. Abraham rose
up early in the morning, saddled his ass. That's simply stated,
isn't it? He obeyed. You know, I got to
thinking, he could have presented a lot of arguments. I thought
about some of the things that I would have said. But Lord, you said in Isaac,
shall my seed be called? Or, Lord, how am I going to explain
this to Sarah? Or, Lord, in this enough, I've
been faithful to you all these years. What else do you want? Could have, couldn't he? Isn't
it a little late for things like this to be brought on this old
white-headed man? Lord, this is too great a sacrifice. Too great. He's all I have. No, sir, that old man, it says
he rose up. No complaints, no arguments,
no objections, no debate, no quarrel, no claims of any merit,
he just started getting ready to go. If this is where we're
going, let's get started. That's what he said. That's faith. You know, it's like Peter and
those fellas that fished all night and caught nothing, and
the next morning the Lord appeared to him and he said, now get your
nets and go out here and drop them. And Peter said, Lord, I
fished out there all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless,
that's your word. I'd let down my neck. I'd be
alright. Isn't that true? That's faith. And I don't expect, I'm not saying
that we are Abrahams. I'd like to be, wouldn't you?
But this is what it is. Let's don't look for a way around
this thing now. Let's meet it head on. Faith
has a foundation. Faith's the gift of God. And
faith is obedient. And then now watch this next,
verse 4. And the third day Abraham lifted
up his eyes and saw the place. Do you know, do you realize that
the place where Isaac was to be sacrificed was a three-day
journey? So fifthly, faith is patient. The Lord never said another word
to Abraham. That's what's difficult so often
about prayer. is the heaven seems to be just
shut. Just closed. That's what David complained
about his Lord. Are you clean gone? Will you forsake us forever? Will you never hear me again?
That's David talking. The heavens seem to be brass.
There's no reply. There's no word of encouragement. And God didn't say anything to
Abraham either. He told him to go to a place I'll show you and
he sat on his ass and started going toward that place three
days and three nights and not a word, not a word, not a word. I bet it seemed like three years
instead of three days. Every believer will know some
days of burdens and nights of weeping. But I tell you, God's,
listen to this now, listen to me. Well, I've experienced it,
I don't know, but I do know it's true. God's trials and God's
tests that have sent our way always involve enough time to
get the job done. Let me show you that in James.
James 1. For example, he kept Moses in
the wilderness 40 years. Forty years. Isn't that right? Forty years. Noah, building an
ark, 120 years. David, you know, he made him
king of Israel. He didn't become king of Israel
for years and years and years. He's out there in caves on the
side of the mountain. in the deserts and the wilderness
being chased by Saul and hated and ridiculed. Let me ask, before I read James,
do you suppose that the greater the assignment, the greater the responsibility,
then the greater and more severe and the longer the trial must
be? You reckon that's true? That the greater... For example,
if there's some severe and tremendous responsibility or assignment
to be laid upon some man, the longer he has to train. Isn't
that right? You surgeons. There's some health... Offices and positions that you
can learn pretty quickly. You remember the hospital corpsman
in the Navy? Three months. But I don't want
them operating on me, do you? But that surgeon has to, years. And it may be, you take Moses,
think what God prepared him for. It took 40 years. And you can go on with David,
what God was preparing him for the Psalms, preparing him for
the glory of Israel. And He prepared him a long time.
And here in James, it's what it says, listen, James 1, 2.
James 1, 2. My brethren, count it all joy
when you fall into different temptations, troubles, and trials,
knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience,
But let patience have her perfect work, mature, full work, that
you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Don't end the
trial until the work's done. That's when David wrote, I would
have quit, I would have fainted if I had not known that I'd see
the goodness of God in the land of the living. Our faith is patient. Alright,
here's the sixth thing. Go back to the text, verse 5.
And Abraham said to the young men, and he and Isaac are about
to go up on top of that mountain for this sacrifice. And Abraham
said to the young men, you abide here with the heirs. I and the
lad will go up yonder and worship and come again to you. I and
the lad are going up there, and I and the lad are coming back. Faith is confident and certain
of the promises of God. We will go yonder and worship,
and we will come again. You see, Abraham believed God
that Isaac was his heir, and in Isaac a great nation would
arise, and God wasn't going to change that promise. It's going to be all right. Now,
faith knows that. Like old Barnard used to say,
I know how this is all going to turn out. I read the last
chapter in this book. I know how it's going to turn
out. I know how it's going to turn out. I've read the last
chapter. I know how the story's going
to have many pitfalls and mountains and valleys and trials and heartaches
and tears and suffering, but I know how it's going to turn
out. I know. Turn to Romans 8. Let's read
how it's going to turn out. In Romans chapter 8, it says
here in verse 28, we know, we know, faith is confident. We
know that all things, all things, whatever they are, work together
for good, eternal good, to them that love God, to them who are
called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. That's
our future. That He, Christ, might be the
firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate,
them He called. Whom He called, He justified.
Whom He justified, He'll glorify. Now, what shall we say to these
things? I say, if God be for us, who can be against us? He
despaired not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.
How shall He not with Christ freely give us all things? Who's
going to lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God
that justifieth. Who can condemn us? It's Christ
that died, verse 35. Who can separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall troubles? No. Distress? No. Persecution, famine, nakedness,
peril, sword? No. As it is written, for thy
sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep
for the slaughter, but even in these things we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us. I am persuaded, faith is
confident, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ our Lord. If Paul's
not bragging about his love for God, he's bragging about God's
love for him. Not for a minute. He's not saying,
I'm never going to fail. I will fail, but he'll never
fail. If I believe not, he's faithful. Thank God it's not
the quantity of my faith, it's the object of our faith. That's
the key. Abraham believed God. All right,
I've got to quit, but here's the seventh thing. Faith is knowledgeable. Look back at my text. And Isaac
said to him in verse 6, Abraham took the wood, Genesis 22, 6,
and laid it on Isaac, his son, and took the fire in his hand,
and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake to Abraham, his
father, and said, My father, he said, Here am I, my son. He
said, My father, behold the fire, behold the wood. Where is the
lamb? Where's the lamb for a burnt
offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb
for a burnt offering. Faith is knowledgeable. Isaac
asked a question, Abraham answered it. My son, come you children,
I'll teach you the things of God. What are the things of God? God will provide. Who else? He's
the only one who can provide. To whom shall we go? God will
provide, will He provide Himself? You're not the Lamb, I see. He's
the Lamb. And God will provide the Lamb
Himself, He'll provide Himself as the Lamb, and He'll provide
the Lamb for Himself. Did you hear what I said? God
will Himself provide the Lamb, He will provide Himself as the
Lamb, And he will provide that lamb for himself that he might
be just and justified. Old Abraham preached the whole
gospel of that. Somebody said, did Abraham know
the gospel? Did Abraham know the gospel? Not many folks knew it as well
as Abraham. He saw my day, Christ said. He
rejoiced. God will provide. God will provide. Himself. All right, verse 10. Faith is going to be rewarded. Not according to the amount of
it. No. It will be rewarded. And Abraham, verse 10, well,
they came to the place, verse 9, which God told him of, and
Abraham built the altar there, laid the wood, bound Isaac his
son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched
forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel
of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham,
Abraham. He said, Here am I. He said,
Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything to him.
For now, write this in your margin. God doesn't discover anything.
God knew Abraham loved him. But write this, for now it is
known. It is known. It's a well-known
fact that you fear God. Now, it is known. I knew it. Now you know it. And now others
know it. It's known that you fear God.
Seeing you've not withheld your son, your only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes
and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in a thicket
by his horns. And Abraham went and took the
ram, offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his
son." You know, Abraham's faith was
rewarded with peace and happiness and contentment as he walked
away from that mountain. But I tell you, this peace and
happiness and contentment involve a cost. A cost. Don't they? God deals with us
severely, and we think oftentimes harshly, but it's lovingly. And the reward of it, and the
joy of it, and the peace that follows We'll thank God for it
someday. Our afflictions, he calls light,
are not worthy to be compared with the glory. Oh, think about
when Abraham left that mountain. Oh, my. In fact, verse 14, the
last thing I want to say about faith. Faith has a song. And
Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh, as it is
said to this day in the mountain of the Lord. Jehovah-Jireh shall
be seen." What does that mean, Jehovah-Jireh? It says, it means
this, the Lord will provide. The Lord will see to it. And
that's faith song. And I want to read you a song
by John Newton. I wish I could sing it, but I
don't know the tune. But this is the song of faith. It's called the Lord will provide.
That's what he called that place. His heart was so full of joy. Now the trial was over. Weeping
endures for the night, and joy comes in the morning. And John
Newton says, the birds without barn or storehouse are fed. From them let us learn to trust
God for our bread. His sheep, what is fitting? shall
never be denied, so long as it's written, the Lord will provide. We all may, like ships, be tempest
and tossed on perilous waves, but we shall not be lost. For
one thing secures us whatever betides. His promise assures
us the Lord will provide. no strength of our own, no goodness
we claim. Our hopes rest secure on his
precious name. In him our strong tower for refuge
we hide. The Lord is our power, and the
Lord will provide. And when life sinks apace and
death is in view, the word of his grace will bring us safe
through. not fearing or doubting, with
Christ as my guide, I hope to die shouting, The Lord will provide."
All right, I pray that'll be a blessing to you, and God use
it for our good and His glory. The Lord will provide.