Faith Sacrifice Lessons from the Father of Faith

Who is Abram - Gen 11

• Abram is the first son of Terah, a descendant of Shem
• Lived in his father's household in Ur, and later Haran after the death of his brother Haran
• The husband to Sarai, and uncle to Lot (his brother Haran's son)

The Call of Abram - Gen 12, 13, 14

• Left his native country, relatives, father's family, and to a land God showed him.
• He traveled with his wife, and Lot to Canaan - a people that were cursed, as a result of Ham's insubordination
• The Lord said he'll give the land of Canaan to Abram's descendants
• Abram travelled through the land, built an altar in Moreh, built an altar in between Bethel (west) and AI (east), and then south to Negev
• Famine strikes in Canaan forcing him to move to Egypt
• Abram lies to the Egyptian ruler that Sarai is his sister to protect his life
• Plague hits the Pharaoh's household, and he throws Abram out of the country back to Canaan, and settled in between Bethel and Ai
• Conflict ensues between the herdsmen or Abram and his nephew Lot due to competition for resources as their livestock and other possessions increased
• Lot moved near Sodom, in the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley
• The Lord said to Abram: Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you Gen 13:17
• The 5 kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboyim, and Bela marched against the 4 kings of Elam, Goyim, Shinar, and Ellasar and were defeated
• Lot was taken captive as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were defeated
• Abram mobilized 318 trained men from his household and rescued Lot Gen 14
• Abram meets king of Sodom and High Priest Melchizedek, also king of Salem
• He gave a tenth of everything after to Melchizedek after he blessed him.

The Covenant - Gen 15

• The Lord makes a covenant promise to Abram, to give an heir to Abram's wealth
• Abram believed and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith v1-6
• Abraham had a vision of the 400 years of slavery his descendants will endure v7-20

The Wait - Gen 16

• 10 years later after the covenant, Sarai offers her Egyptian servant to Abram to bear a child with her
• Sarai mistreats Hagar during her pregnancy causing her to flee
• An angel appears to Hagar by the spring of water in the wilderness as she was running away, to name her son Ishmael (God hears)
• Hagar names the place Beer-lahai-roi (well of the Living One who sees me), or El-Roi (The God who sees me)

The beginning of the Covenant - Gen 17, 18, 19, 21

• El-Shaddai gives the father of many nations a new name, Abraham
• God establishes His covenant with Abraham as everlasting
• He commands Abraham and all the males of his household to be circumcised as a sign of the covenant v9
• Abraham was circumcised at 99 years old
• Sarai named Sarah, mother of many nations
• Laughed in disbelief of hearing she'd have a child, but God still confirmed his covenant
• God visits Abraham through 3 men, and confirms the promise of a child - C18
• Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah for Lot's sake
• Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed, Lot makes it out with his family - C19
• Isaac is born, the meaning of his name is Laughter - C21
• Ishmael and Hagar sent away

The Test - Gen 22

• Give me the one thing you love most as a burnt offering, a worship sacrifice to God
• Abraham did not withhold his son Isaac from God
• He loaded up his donkey, cut up wood and took 2 servants and Isaac, to set out to Moriah
• Upon reaching the mountain God showed him, he went to the top with Isaac alone
• Abraham answered "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering" when Isaac as the about the lamb for the burnt offering - v7-8
• An angel of the Lord called out from heaven to stopped Abraham from making the laying hand on Isaac and provided a ram to use for the sacrifice instead - v10-13
• He called the place, the Lord will Provide (YHWH Jireh)
• The Lord reaffirmed His covenant to Abraham by swearing by His Own Name (I AM) because of his obedience

Lessons

• When the LORD called Abraham, he replied Here I am, Lord
• When the Lord called Adam, he hid because he had disobeyed
• To God obedience comes first, and in Abraham's case, the test was not about the sacrifice, but the obedience
• The sacrifice is important but the obedience takes precedence as in 1 Samuel 15:22
• It is not just about the sacrifice; the size, the kind, the taste, the age, the gender
• It is the obedience to do those things God
• Obedience counts as righteousness, and a sacrifice from a righteous man is clean and accepted by God

Questions

• How much will you sacrifice for God?
• What do you love more or the most?
• What's more important?
• What would have happened if Abraham failed?
• What does this story tell us about sacrifice?
• What is God asking you to sacrifice because of your faith in Him?