Abraham Father Of Faith

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Abraham Father Of Faith 9

• Abraham Isaac

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The Site Of The Sacrifice
This large rock, is supposed to be the pace where
Abraham sacrificed Isaac. Jews call it the
Foundation Stone upon which God is supposed
to have made the world. It is now inside the
Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem and is
supposed to be the spot from which Mohammed
ascended to Heaven It is also the site of the
old Jewish Temple
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Caution Required!

• This story does NOT justify child abuse or
  child-sacrifice but rather eventually shows that
  God abhors it.
• This story does not justify asking extreme
  sacrifices from spiritual followers (putting
  your Isaac on the altar)
• If we think that God is asking us to do something
  unusual or extreme we should a) WAIT b) check
  the Scriptures and c) seek advice and godly
  counsel.

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Unquestioning Obedience

• Genesis 221-3 MKJV And it happened after these
  things that God tested Abraham, and said to him,
  Abraham! And he said, Behold me. (2) And He
  said, Take now your son, your only one, Isaac,
  whom you love. And go into the land of Moriah,
  and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one
  of the mountains which I will name to you. (3)
  And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and
  saddled his ass, and took two of his young men
  with him, and Isaac his son. And he split the
  wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went
  to the place of which God had told him.

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Faith And Perplexity

• Abraham received a clear instruction from God to
  do something very, very strange.
• He thought about this and ended up believing that
  God would raise Isaac from the dead. (Hebrews
  1117-19)
• Abraham kept believing in the goodness and power
  and promises of God in a time of great perplexity
• Despite his perplexity Abraham obeyed God

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Splitting The Wood

• And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and
  saddled his ass, and took two of his young men
  with him, and Isaac his son. And he split the
  wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went
  to the place of which God had told him.
• Why carry the wood?
• Thorough preparation for tough obedience
• A lifestyle of living life without excuses

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Where Is The Lamb?

• Genesis 224-8 MKJV Then on the third day,
  Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar
  off. (5) And Abraham said to his young men, You
  stay here with the ass. And I and the boy will go
  on to this way 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 the fire in his hand, and a knife. And they
  both went together. (7) And Isaac spoke to
  Abraham his father and said, My father. And he
  said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the
  fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for a
  burnt offering? (8) And Abraham said, My son,
  God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt
  offering. So they both went together.

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A Difficult Journey

• I and the boy..will worship..and come again to
  you!
• Abraham believed that he would come back with
  Isaac
• Abraham had kept Gods instructions to himself.
• Abrahams word to Isaac later became prophetic
  sometimes prophetic words are unintentional.
• Isaac carrying the wood is like Jesus carrying
  His cross

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God Stops The Sacrifice

• Genesis 229-13 MKJV And they came to the place
  which God had told him of. And Abraham built an
  altar there and laid the wood in order. And he
  bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on
  the wood. (10) And Abraham stretched out his
  hand and took the knife to slay his son. (11)
  And the Angel of Jehovah called to him from the
  heavens and said, Abraham! Abraham! And he said,
  Here am I. (12) And He said, Do not lay your
  hand on the lad, nor do anything to him. For now
  I know that you fear God, since you have not
  withheld your son, your only one, from Me. (13)
  And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked. And,
  behold, a ram behind him was entangled in a
  thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and took
  the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering
  instead of his son.

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I Know That You Fear God!

• The purpose was to test loyalty to God of someone
  who would be a great patriarch (similar to the
  testing of Peter)
• Leaders are often tested by God before service
  (e.g. the temptation of Jesus)
• This is NOT saying that we have to give up
  everything that is precious to us (after all
  Isaac was restored to Abraham)
• It does tell us that God must come first
• The ram often called the Ram of Pride is
  sacrificed instead.
• Ram symbolizes strength, ability (in Hebrew)

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Spiritual Significance

• Abrahams sacrifice was a type of the death of
  Christ and Isaacs survival a prefigurement of
  the resurrection
• Abrahams obedience hallowed that place for all
  time
• Faith creates the channels along which history
  then proceeds
• Prophetic actions and words can create history
  e.g. Moses and the plagues, Baalams prophecy etc
  (Numbers 22 23)

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The Lord Will Provide

• Genesis 2214 MKJV And Abraham called the name
  of that place Jehovah Will See so that it is
  said until this day, In the mount of Jehovah it
  will be seen.
• Genesis 2214 HCSB And Abraham named that place
  The LORD Will Provide, so today it is said "It
  will be provided on the LORD's mountain."

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Gods Command Is Gods Provision

• When you are on the Lords mountain that is in
  the right place spiritually then God provides!
• Matthew 633 MKJV But seek first the kingdom of
  God and His righteousness and all these things
  shall be added to you.
• 2 Corinthians 98-9 MKJV (8) And God is able to
  make all grace abound toward you, that in
  everything, always having all self-sufficiency,
  you may abound to every good work (9) As it is
  written, "He scattered he has given to the poor
  his righteousness remains forever."

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The Gates Of Their Enemies

• Genesis 2215-19 MKJV And the Angel of Jehovah
  called to Abraham out of the heavens the second
  time, (16) and said, I have sworn by Myself,
  says Jehovah because you have done this thing,
  and have not withheld your son, your only one
  (17) that in blessing I will bless you, and in
  multiplying I will multiply your seed like the
  stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is
  upon the seashore. And your Seed shall possess
  the gate of His enemies. (18) And in your Seed
  shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,
  because you have obeyed My voice. (19) Abraham
  returned to his young men, and they rose up and
  went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham lived at
  Beer-sheba.

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Multiplied Blessings

• (17) that in blessing I will bless you, and in
  multiplying I will multiply your seed like the
  stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is
  upon the seashore.
• Hebrew construction for superabundantly bless
  and superabundantly multiply
• And your Seed shall possess the gate of His
  enemies. victory in spiritual warfare - the
  gates of Hell will not prevail against the
  Church (Matthew 1618)

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Obedience Releases Blessing

• And in your Seed shall all the nations of the
  earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My
  voice.
• God gave Abraham authority the third and
  greatest Creation blessing - have dominion over
  after his obedience
• Up until this point Abraham had blessings of
  fruitfulness and multiplication (v.17)
• Now power and dominion were released through
  high-level obedience
• God made the blessing certain by swearing an oath
  (see Hebrews 613-15)