When God Asks Too Much
Gen. 22 and Mark 14:32ff
Newland Street C/C
8/20/06 (Sunday Evening)
Introduction: Have you ever felt like God was asking too much?
Sometimes other people amaze us. They will ask us to do something, which we feel obligated to do, or have to come up with some excuse not to and we tell ourselves, “They ask too much!” What we really mean is that the person has asked us to go beyond the level of sacrifice with which we are comfortable. Will you help me move again? We think, “That’s three times too many, buddy?” And then we politely explain that we will be out of town and then we think to ourselves, “Where am I going to go?” But in the end, if is something we really don’t want to do, we can get out of it.
However, how about when God asks us to do something? He may not send you an e-mail or call you on the phone, but there are times when you know that God was prompting you in your heart to do something. Usually the way we get out of that is simply to ignore him. There was a time in my life when I knew that God had made it abundantly clear that I was no longer to pursue becoming a law enforcement office. I knew he wanted me to leave S.H.S.U., and I didn’t really want to! In that particular case, I obeyed God’s will and he made things clearer for me down the road. I am sure that there are many times that I missed the voice of God or ignored him.
However, what if God asked what you could not give up? What if it meant choosing him as your God, or your own will? What happens when your will and God’s will comes into such conflict that there is no way that it can be a win/win situation? Would you follow God because he is God, or would you declare him unreasonable and go your own way? God once commanded a prophet to marry a prostitute that would one day desert him. Could you do it? He did! Jesus asked a man to sell all that he had and give to the poor and follow him. Could you do it? He didn’t! But tonight, we will see a story where our gut instinct tells us that God has gone too far. God will ask Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the son of promise on an altar to God. How could God ask that, especially after Abraham waited until he was 100 years old to give him the child that would bless all nations? God asked Abraham to do more than he had ever asked anyone else. What is it that we truly learn about God and us in this story? We shall see.
Move 1: The impossible command (1-2).
1. Isaac, the son of promise.
Not long before Abraham had already given up his other son, Ishmael. So, in a very real sense this is now Abraham’s only son. This is the son through whom God would fulfill his promise to make Abraham a father of many nations. This is the son whom Abraham had waited over a quarter century. This is the only son of his beloved wife, Sarah. Then God shows up and orders that Abraham go sacrifice him as a burnt offering. God offers no explanation. He even uses painful words like “your only son, whom you love.” We cannot imagine the pain that Abraham is in. His choice is simple. He must now choose between the God he has loved and served and his own son Isaac. That choice is not easy.
Excursion: The difference between simple and easy.
I once heard a story about a man who took his two year old son out on a camping trip and didn’t tell anyone where he was. He woke in the morning to find a coral snake attached to his finger. He faced a simple decision. Take the axe he brought for cutting wood and cut off his finger to save his son. Or die in the woods, leaving his son alone. The choice was simple, but it didn’t make it easy.
2. The God who tests.
Tested does not mean tempt. God tested his people often in Scripture. The Israelites were tested in the wilderness. Job was tested to see whether or not he served God because he is God or simply because God blessed him. Here Abraham is tested to see whether or not he serves God because he is God or simply because of the promised child, Isaac.
3. None of us have been put to this test.
But God does ask us to do things we don’t want to do or don’t want to give up. We spend a good part of our lives justifying why we don’t or can’t do something. None of us have been asked to do this. But some have been asked to make choices between family and God. Some serve God because of what they get from him, not because of who God is. Some of you follow God on your terms and not his. All of that is stripped away from Abraham. He will either decide to follow God on God’s terms or he will walk away.
Move 2: The ideal faith (3-10).
1. The painful journey.
We don’t know how old Isaac was, but for him this is just a trip with Dad. He’s excited. He must have wondered at Abraham’s distant look. We don’t even know if Sarah knows what is happening, but Abraham is fully aware that this is a death march for his son. It isn’t merely that Abraham is resigned to his death; it is the crushing reality that he must raise the knife and slay his own son. Each step of the way gets him closer to this journey. Maybe this is part of the test. Every step is one that increases his desire to turn around. On the third day, he sees the place where the deed is to be done.
2. Abraham is committed.
We see that Abraham is committed. He and the boy will go up carrying the supplies for the sacrifice. There is a small hint of hope in v. 5. Maybe he is hoping that God will see he is serious and change his mind, but for Abraham there is no turning back. It seems unbelievable at this point. Abraham and Isaac go forward and God is silent. Isaac asks a question, where was the lamb that they would sacrifice? That question must have hurt! Abraham responds with words of faith, “The Lord will provide.” He doesn’t know how. He doesn’t know that God will keep him from doing that awful deed, but he knows God, and he is resigned to trust him. What comes next is unimaginable for us. Abraham builds the altar and then he binds his son. Did Isaac think it was a joke? Probably not when he saw the tears running down his father’s face. It was only a few seconds, but time must have stopped. Abraham raised his knife to do what no parent could imagine.
Move 3: God provides (9-19)!
1. God comes to the rescue.
If we were watching this as a movie, our hearts would have stopped at this point.
This is the point where everyone finally gives up on God coming to rescue and then right as the knife is about to come down we hear the most welcomed voice of God’s angel, “Abraham! Abraham!” He probably dropped to the ground trembling, but once again answers, “Here I am.” God orders him to stop and explains the purpose of this test. Abraham had demonstrated to God that he would follow God no matter what. We all say we love God more than anything or anyone else, but here Abraham demonstrated it beyond any question. It didn’t mean he didn’t love Isaac. It just meant that he loved God even more.
2. The ram in the thicket.
God did indeed provide, just as Abraham had proclaimed. God gave a substitute for Abraham’s son. God then reaffirms his promise to Abraham and honors his obedience. Much like Job the test benefited Abraham in the sense that his faith became a faith that was dependent upon nothing but God. In the end, God took care of them both. In the end, God stayed Abraham’s hand. Yet we wonder, in our most honest moments, did God have the right to ask such a thing? We could be trite and simply say that God is author of life and therefore he can demand it when it suits him. But I think there is something more compelling in God that we can only see when he look at his Son.
Move 4: God did not spare his Son (Mark 14:32-42).
Focus in on v. 36. This is one of the most emotional moments in the Bible. Jesus, who is God’s only Son, whom he loves, was now at his darkest hour. The Father has to listen as a child cries out to his daddy, “Abba, Father!” The difficulty is that though all things all possible for God, not all things are possible simultaneously. Jesus cannot be the Christ and redeem mankind if he does not go to the cross. It is the definition of the Christ. God could take the cup of suffering from Jesus, but it would doom us all. God watched Abraham raise the knife and stopped him. Now God must sacrifice his own Son! Just as Abraham looked into the scared and hurt eyes of Isaac, now God the Father hears the desperate voice of his Son. The main difference is that Jesus does have a choice. His will or the will of the Father. A few hours later would come some of the most difficult words ever said, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?”
The answer to that question is for you and for me. God did what no parent could imagine doing. He did it because he loved us. How could he ask Abraham to give his son? God knew that he would give his. “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” Though he did in his heart, Abraham didn’t have to kill his son. There was no substitute for the holy Lamb of God. I cannot imagine the pain that gripped God’s heart. His perfect son. And it was his will to kill him.
Sometimes we like to skip ahead to the resurrection, like Abraham did in his mind regarding Isaac (cf. Heb. 11). That was a joyful day indeed. But we need to understand the love of God at the cross. If we can identify with what Abraham was asked to do, then we can begin to understand that sacrifice the Father made and the willing Son. God gave him for you, and did what he ultimately would not let Abraham do.
Move 5: God has proven himself.
1. The goodness of God cannot be questioned.
Sometimes life is very difficult and tragic. It is natural and even commendable to direct our emotions towards God in these times. Why do we trust God? We trust God because we know that no matter what happens that God’s goodness and love have been eternally proven through the sacrifice of his Son. There is no pain we know that God doesn’t know even more. God ultimately proved his love for us. He held nothing back from us, even when the gravest sacrifice was called for.
2. Remember this next time God calls on you to do something.
Does God really ask of us the impossible? I don’t think so. Even if he did, “all things are possible with God.” When you think God has asked too much of you; remember what he has given for you. Follow God because he is God. Don’t dare put conditions on why you will follow God. I despise those moments on TV where a character says, if you will save me God, I will be in church every Sunday. No! The faith that God seeks is the faith that will follow him no matter the cost. It is faith that will not hesitate give up anything that Jesus asks. It is the faith that understands that God is good and ultimately that his goodness will deliver us no matter what we are asked to endure.
Excursion: Stephanie
What does this faith look like? I know a young lady from a Muslim family. She’s not Arab. Stephanie is from OK. Some people shared the gospel with her at OU and she wanted to give her life to Christ. Her family told her that if she made that choice she would be dead to them. She made her choice. She chose Jesus. It was hard, but I know she has a bigger family than she could’ve ever imagined! Today, that family prays for her as she struggles with stomach cancer and her physical family still disowns her. Sometimes Jesus calls us to make difficult choices, but we make it knowing that God is always good! To reject the choice offered by Jesus is to reject him.
Invitation: Give your life to Jesus.
Let me tell you there is no safe haven outside of him. Your faith may be tested, but is of greater worth than gold! Do not turn away from what God gave you in Christ Jesus. Don’t make his sacrifice meaningless to you. Embrace him, today.
