Lead Me to the Cross: With a Promise
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from February 21, 2021
THIS WEEK: Lead Me to the Cross…Find the Ram…Find a Substitute!
If you don’t pass the BAR exam, you can’t be a lawyer.
If you don’t pass your driving test, you can’t drive a car.
If you don’t pass your final exams, you can’t advance to the next grade.
Passing a test at one level opens opportunity at the next.
God rewarded the faithfulness of Abraham who passed the test of faith by reaffirming the promise he had made:
Genesis 22:15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
It’s hard to imagine “What if?” Abraham had wavered and run from being willing to sacrifice Isaac. It’s a question we’ll never know the answer to and that’s OK. The reality is God gave Abraham a heart of faith to trust and obey his promises. As a result? God affirmed the promise he had made.
“All nations on earth will be blessed.”
The test isn’t just about you. In the moment it may be because you just want to pass the test. However, passing the test maybe about the lives of hundreds or thousands more. Consider the justices on the Supreme Court. If they hadn’t prepared for and passed their BAR exams, became lawyers, then judges, their impact on the lives of others would be much less today. The passing of the test has impact on the people that you encounter after the test.
In this case, whether he realized it or not, the promise of God was resting on a passing grade from the heart of Abraham. Of course the Lord provided what Abraham needed, but the reality of him passing the test and being willing to give up Isaac had impact on every nation and person on earth.
Generations after Abraham, God’s promise was finally fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Through him, a descendant of Abraham and Isaac, all the nations of the world would be blessed.
But Jesus had to pass a test too: Go through life without sin. Good news…he passed where we all had failed. Romans 5:18-19 says,
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
At times we read Old Testament stories as if they were nice stories…which they are. However, each one is recorded because it has personal impact on your faith today. Any interruption in God’s plan of salvation and we would have no salvation. Same is true for the test of Abraham’s faith. He fails…salvation fails. He passes…God’s promise and plan continues to the reality of your heart today.
God’s promise to Abraham was fulfilled in the cross of Jesus…the cross of Jesus is at the heart of God’s promise to you today!
Apply: What test of faith has God put you through that now has blessing and impact in the life of someone else?
Prayer: LORD, thank you for your faithfulness to give your people the strength to pass the tests you present. We also thank you for being faithful to your promises to people of the past to give us your blessings in the present. AMEN.
Lead Me to the Cross: With a Substitute
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from February 21, 2021
THIS WEEK: Lead Me to the Cross…Find the Ram…Find a Substitute!
Abraham was right. The Lord will provide the lamb.
We don’t know much about Isaac’s thoughts as he was bound and put on the altar. We don’t know what conversations Abraham had with Isaac about what God had asked him to do. It seems very little, as Isaac asked about the lamb for the sacrifice on the way up the mountain. But I can imagine none was more relieved than Isaac when the angel stopped his father from taking his life. None was more relieved than Isaac when the Lord provided a substitute in the thicket to be sacrificed instead of him.
Abraham was right. The Lord did provide a lamb.
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” (Genesis 22:13-14)
Abraham’s words weren’t just a statement of reality…they were prophetic.
The mountain of the Lord on which they were standing was Mount Moriah. Mount Moriah became the location of the temple of the Lord in the days of Solomon. On this mountain hundreds of thousands of lambs would be sacrificed again and again for the sin of people. People weren’t sacrificed for their own sin, animals were.
Hebrews 10:11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
The daily sacrifices were ineffective in filling the need of taking away sins.
So God provided a greater substitute, his Son, his beloved Son, Jesus.
Abraham was right, the Lord will provide the lamb.
This time it was the Lamb of God.
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
The reality was, We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)
The Lord was willing to place our sins on Jesus so we would not have to be sacrificed for them…Jesus was, once for all.
Hebrews 7:26 Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
Abraham was right. “On the mountain of the Lord, it will be provided.”
On this very mountain, where a ram was provided as a substitute for Isaac, a Lamb was provided as a substitute for us all.
Abraham was right. “The Lord will provide the Lamb.”
Apply: Visualize the transfer of your sins of this week to Jesus. See him on the cross as your substitute!
PRAYER: Lord, thank you for providing a substitute in Jesus to do the work of paying for our sin which we or any lamb or ram could never accomplish. AMEN.
Lead Me to the Cross: With Conviction
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from February 21, 2021
THIS WEEK: Lead Me to the Cross…Find the Ram…Find a Substitute!
The decision was already made.
Even before they left their home for the three day journey to Mount Moriah, Abraham had decided to sacrifice his son…or should I say, follow the directive of God.
The decision wasn’t to sacrifice his son or not…that would have been a terribly agonizing decision. The decision was to trust and obey the word of the Lord. That was a constant Abraham had decided long ago.
So while we look at the action of Abraham about to take Isaac’s life, it seems like a painful and heart wrenching decision. But perhaps it was simple because he was convinced trusting and obeying the word of the Lord was ALWAYS the right decision…even when humanly speaking it seemed irrational.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. (Genesis 22:9-10)
God saw the conviction of faith that led Abraham to trust and obey. As a result? Test passed.
That’s all God was looking for. A simple exercise of faith that exhibited love for God over love for Isaac. So God stopped the test.
11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” (Genesis 22:11-12)
Abraham loved Isaac. But he loved the LORD more.
What would happen in your life if you made a decision of faith to simply and always trust God and obey his Word…always…even when it seemed illogical?
It wouldn’t answer every question of life like what color to paint a room, or where to go to college, or where to work. But it would give the foundation upon which every decision of life is made.
What color to paint a room? The color is optional, but I’m not going to spend money painting in place of honoring the Lord with the tithe of my offering. So if I can’t afford it with the 90% that’s left…no painting right now.
Where should I go to college? The college is optional, but I may assess where I can attend a school that will support my walk with the Lord versus be a constant threat and challenge to my faith. While I may get accepted to my “dream” institution…I may quickly turn it down as it will challenge my walk with the LORD.
Where should I work? Not sure. There are probably many places, but I will ask, “Where can I use the gifts and talents God has given to me to give glory to him and be a blessing to others?” That is non-negotiable. So even if I was offered a six-figure income with potential for seven, I may easily turn it down because it will conflict with my ability to trust God and obey his word.
These may be “big decisions” but really every day we are invited to make the same decision, “Today I will trust God and obey his Word.” With that decision made…options are eliminated.
Abraham didn’t consider other options, because he knew there wasn’t any other options. To trust God and obey his Word, he had to sacrifice Isaac. In his heart he did. So God ended the test. Abraham passed.
Apply: What would your days look like if you made a decision of faith today and simply committed to the LORD with his help to always trust him and obey his Word? Try it for the next 10 days…what do you notice?
PRAYER: Lord, help me by the power of your Spirit to always trust you and obey your word so that I pass the tests of faith you allow to come my way. AMEN.
Lead Me to the Cross: With Confidence
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from February 21, 2021
THIS WEEK: Lead Me to the Cross…Find the Ram…Find a Substitute!
Abraham didn’t delay. God told him to take his son Isaac and give him back to him through sacrifice. From a human perspective a heart-breaking request from God, one that we perhaps would want to take some time to think about.
Yet Abraham moved forward with confidence. Here are three unquestionable statements of Abraham’s confidence in the command of the Lord and the conviction to carry out the Lord’s request.
- Early the next morning…
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. (Genesis 22:3)
There was no delay. There was no time for Abraham to tell Isaac to say good bye to his mother or his friends. Abraham didn’t argue with God, question God, or wonder if the voice was God’s or not. He was convinced the Lord’s commands are always to be followed, so he moved forward with confidence.
- We will come back to you…
4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” (Genesis 22:4-5)
The servants were there to help, but were witnesses to a man of faith. Abraham knew the LORD had asked him to sacrifice Isaac. Simple math would say, “Two people go to the mountain to worship. One is killed via sacrifice on the altar during the time of worship. How many return from the mountain?” This first grade math problem would demand the answer of “One!” Yet, Abraham’s answer was “Two.”
Why would he…could he answer this way? The writer to the Hebrews gives us the inspired insight into Abraham’s heart:
Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
Simply put Abraham had learned to trust the LORD and his promises. God promised Abraham he would have a son with Sarah…he did. He promised that through that son, he would become a great nation…that promise still stood. God told him to sacrifice his son…somehow God would stay faithful to his promise. Abraham was confident just as Isaac came from two “dead” bodies (beyond normal child bearing years), God could bring him back to life after his life was taken in sacrifice.
- God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering…
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. (Genesis 22:6-8)
God will provide. Abraham wasn’t privy to all the details, but he knew God would provide as he acted according to his promises.
We can have confidence to walk through life when we walk according to the promises of God. What does that look like? Here’s just a couple of examples:
“How come you’re not afraid?” “Because here’s God’s promise, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;…” (Psalm 23:4)
“How do you stay so calm?” Matthew 6:25-27 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
So move forward with confidence in the presence and promises of the LORD!
Apply: What promise of God will help you move forward in your day with confidence?
PRAYER: Thank you Lord for your promises and faithfulness to them. Lead me to always move forward in life confident in you and your promises. AMEN.
Lead Me to the Cross: When I’m Tested
Daily Devotions based the Sermon from February 21, 2021
THIS WEEK: Lead Me to the Cross…Find the Ram…Find a Substitute!
I didn’t like tests much. Especially ones I didn’t know were coming. Unexpected tests challenged the preparation you had made prior to the test. If you had done the daily work, it was not a big deal. If you hadn’t, you struggled and perhaps failed.
This past week Central Texas was tested. Can we endure a Midwest week of sub-freezing temperatures in a climate used to less than 24 hours below freezing? It was a challenge to be sure. However, our seven years in Minnesota and how to winterize pipes, our experience with an ice storm in North Carolina which led to a generator purchase, a proactive wife who had bought new flashlights and filled our tubs with water and our family was overall very prepared and blessed to not have endured some of the longer power outages and water pipe breaking.
Like in academics, you often learn from the questions you got wrong. Those are the ones you remember the most. We had learned from tests we had failed in the past…no generator…no fresh batteries…broken water valve…and more.
Life is like school…tests in eighth grade are tougher than fourth grade. Tests to pass a doctorate exam tougher than the ones to graduate high school. One test prepares us for the next.
With God as our instructor, he can bring tests to our faith at any time and any way. This week we’ll look at the test he gave to Abraham.
God had given Abraham a number of tests. Leave your home land and travel to a land I will tell you (as you are traveling!). You will be a blessing to many nations (but you have no son). You will have a child in your old age (but my wife is old too). All these God was preparing for what I would think is the biggest test:
Genesis 22:1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
I don’t know about you, but my heart would have sunk. “Really God? The son you promised, miraculously gave to us, the son I dearly love…now you want me to give him back?”
Tests are tough. The push us to the limit of life and often to faith.
Will Abraham pass or fail? Will he trust or doubt?
We’ll see tomorrow. But one indication of his heart is his response to God. “Here I am.” Abraham and the Lord had built a relationship over the years of trust. Abraham didn’t question and ask, “Who are you?” He knew the voice of the Lord. There was no question as to who was speaking.
While we don’t hear the voice of God directly, the pages of the Scripture give us the clear sounding of his voice. Times of testing challenge us to draw closer to the voice of God. For when God tests, he is one of those amazing teachers who, if you are listening carefully, give you the answers to the tests.
Apply: Whatever your test is this week that is challenging you, perhaps before trying to figure it out, go to the voice of God for in the one who gives the test, he also provides the answer for you.
PRAYER: Lord, as you allow tests to come into my heart, lead me back to you and your Words of hope and promise. AMEN.
PS: Don’t forget a daily Lenten devotion today from my brother, Prof. Steve Geiger: CLICK HERE