When Unexpected Tests Rattle Our World, Part 3

God never puts us through a test without a purpose test. There's a purpose you may not know it's a test but you know it's difficult time you're going through. Never purposeless. God doesn't waste depth of emotion that privilege brings.

There's nothing that measures up to the love you feel for your offspring. There are times however when your relationship is test some of those tests are somewhat harmless. Other times, the tension nearly breaks well today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll helps us understand how to respond to either one.

His application is drawn from Genesis chapter 22 and the heart rending story about Abraham's sacrifice. Chuck titled his message when unexpected tests rattle our work at risk of being overly literal.

I want you to enter into what the sacrifice meant Isaac was to be tied up. The wood was to be stacked on it all as an altar. Isaac was to be laid on top of the altar. His throat was to be slipped like the throat of an animal.

The torch was to be put on the wood. Isaac would be consumed in fire as an offering. Like he had been an animal Abraham. It often sacrifice animals that wasn't anything new. This is unbelievable. He's not told about testing your faith, he simply told take Isaac and sacrificing I find here are three responses in the verses that follow. The first response is immediate notice in verse three. The next morning Abraham got up early, were not told of any wrestling any reluctance were told only got up early. The second thing I notice about the response is based on faith alone. He chop the wood he got the torch he set out for the place God had told him to go. It was a long ways away three days journey along the way and it's all based on faith in his God. There was no hesitation. Please observe the first one to break the silence, is the son Isaac on the third day of their journey. Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance, stay here with the donkey. Abraham drove the servant the boy and I will travel a little farther. Please read carefully the next words we will worship their and then we will come right back. When you observe what he calls the sacrifice worship and we also notice the pronoun in the return not, I will come back, but we will come back believing that God is great enough. If I take the life of my son to bring my son back to life and he and I walked back down the trail to where the servants are waiting with the donkey and we go back to our home. We will worship we will return.

The Lord is saying to him an effect on what your whole heart and that's exactly what Abraham gave him the instructions were that clear. His response was immediate. His response was based on faith alone, and now I notice his response is thorough and complete walk with the two of them as they make their way up the mountain verse six Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac shoulders while he himself carried the fire and the knife as the two of them walked on together. Isaac turned to Abraham and said father we have torch and the wood floors the sheep for the burnt offering Abraham's response is is worth a second look.

Your Bible reads God will provide. In other words, it's all in his hands. I don't know where the sheep is I don't know what God's plan is he himself will provide that.

I think it's gracious about Abraham not to get too specific.

He leaves it in the hands of the Lord as he releases his boy to the Lord at this point the Lord himself will provide what's amazing is no further dialogue is impressed with the silence of Isaac as I am with the words of Abraham.

When they arrived as they both walked on together. Then when they arrived at the police were God had told him to go look at this Abraham built an altar. The words are spoken. He taught his son and he laid him on the altar on top of the wood. Talk about an epochal experience. He lays Isaac on the altar, he lifts up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. Would he have done it absolutely, this is not about a father's love for son.

This is about of father's faith. It is God, and at that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, Abraham, Abraham, here, here is the response by the way, if you don't think punctuality is important. Take a look at that verse describes from heaven.

The angel of the Lord directly came to Abraham there on that mountain called his name and carried the message from God directly to Abraham's ears and Isaac legs. Finally, altar ears, the name of his father in the words of the angel look totally a hand on the boy. Do not hurt him in any way for now I know that's what the test was all about I interrupt the story, but I have to say that when such tests occur you. You will not know at the time what they are about. But those tests come and you will realize later what it all becomes clear. Abraham peers.

Now I know now I know you truly fear God.

The word fear is not a word for fright, but these afraid of God is a word of respect. Now I know that I alone and number one. Now I know that I mean more to you than anything on the planet. Now I know proof positive. You passed with flying colors.

Put the knife away laid on the torch will use it later, but not with Isaac. Now I know that you truly fear God, you have not withheld from me even your only son, we read that Abraham looked up and saw a ram I caught this late in the week in my study, he looked up, which means he must've been on his face. Having been on his feet with knife raised when he hears his name coming from the voice of the angel he drops to his visa and when he hears the hotel partner son drops on his face and his worship goes deep.

He is on his face before his Lord in the presence of this angel, and he looks up and sees a ram horns caught in the thicket and he took the ram and sacrificed it, tied it up, laid it on the altar and obtain the flame having slit the throat of the ram and sacrifice the ram as he and Isaac probably arm in arm, watched the smoke rise. Abraham named the place yelling Eudora.

The Lord will provide the Lord has provide all speak to all of us today as we move quickly from ancient days.

Today, two comments followed by what we might call the principal each of them. First, God never puts us through a test without a purpose you're going through a test.

There's a purpose you will know the tests at the time, you may not know it's a test but you know it's a difficult time you're going through. It's never purposeless. God doesn't waste tests is always a purpose. You will rarely know the purpose the tests may be huge but let me tell you it's purpose is far greater, far more significant.

I have learned over the years and the tests in my life, usually the test is is is designed to have us release something were clutching. We are clutching human beings.

We grip things we grip people we grip titles. We grip positions of we cling to them. We clutch them. The test comes to remarkable public elusiveness from the thing that we been gripping.

Let me say secondly when we trust him while loosening our grip. Even when we cannot understand why he provides solutions that quickly teach us to live with open hands. We will not clutch like that again that is tightly why is the principal. The rewards that follow are learning to hold everything loosely will surpass anything we could've imagined. As we were holding on. I'll say it again, the rewards that follow learning to hold everything loosely will surpass anything we could've ever imagined. Because the Lord provides that in its place. Whatever it is you been gripping, clinging to trying in every way to hold onto letting go, let it go and you will be amazed how God will step in and do the most surprising thing to make you realize what he had in mind is so much greater than what you were gripping you you you can understand later why you held onto it so tightly, one by one.

God took him from me all the things I valued most till I was empty handed every glittering toy was lost and walked earth highways grieving in my rags and poverty until I heard his voice inviting with those empty hands to me. So I turned my hands toward heaven, and he filled in with the store of his own transcendent riches till they could contain no more. At last, I comprehended with my stupid mind until God could not bore his riches in the hands already full.

It's amazing when you realize how God provides that you will want to hold anything again that tightly is amazing.

Some of you have not yet learned that Cynthia and I were designing our new insight for living ministries international headquarters building. We wanted to find a piece of art that would make a statement regarding the way God had lived in that whole thing. The story is just without sounding self-serving. Believe me it is just phenomenal to undeserving people with no background in anything like that. Knowing nothing of the world of media thrust into it by God's direction in and here we were on our own, clinging to all kinds of things ourselves, thinking that is what were meant for this is security or this is our reason for being Lord began to show us know. Anyway, we found this magnificent sculpture piece of sculpture by Robert Hogan.

This magnificent piece is a portrayal of the story.

We just been through and it stands high on its own pedestal in the entrance of our building and the wings of the angel of the Lord are spread like this and his hand is reaching down to Abraham's hand is the movement. The movement of solution. The release, the turning point in the whole story you and you look at the base of the sculpture and there is a small plaque that reads the Lord himself will provide us the story of her ministry.

You get to this statue by walking along the gallery of the nations some 200 cubicles that will someday hold artifacts from the hundred 95 nations of the world flags and books and various meaningful paraphernalia from these various nations as you walk along under the words of the great commission that had been edged in the oval section above you and you get to the statue and there you stand in your read and if no one says anything to you get the message. This place exists because the Lord has provided all glory to him for what he has done. I am convinced when Abraham left the scene and walked back with his boy to their home that he kept loving Isaac as before, but he never forgot who was first. Maybe you forgotten. Maybe in the clutching years you didn't realize how tightly you were gripping what was in fact a part of the test that would later be brought before the Lord for you to release. Maybe someone you love or something you felt you really needed something you would anticipated maybe a long-lost dream you would hope to reach whatever you over Yahweh here. The Lord himself is provided a oneness development together and I want you to search your own heart. When you stop to think about it the, the cross was God's releasing to us is most treasured, most valued presence in heaven is very son any descendent of this earth, not to live not just to live but to die and pay the price for the sins of people like you and me.

We who are prone to wander prone to leave the God we love. I think the table of the Lord is is given to us to bring us back to square one back to remember who he is, why he came, and what he means to us. May these elements you hold in your hand and then take your mouth be tangible reminders.

The Lord wants first place and he won't stop until he gets it and we are to hold him and that kind of fearful respect and give it to him release it.

Thank you in advance. Our father for the table you provided throughout our lives we come around this table and today again to taste a piece of bread and to swallow just a little bit of juice into remembering the taste and the swallowing, your son gave it all that we might know you and no life abundant help those who struggle today with releasing me this message be a reminder of the value of giving you first place in everything we take these elements bread and coupling remembrance of Jesus in his name in the worship service where Chuck Swindoll delivered this message.

The congregation was invited to participate in communion together and although we often think of the Lord's table is something we do inside a church building.

We invite you to reserve a few minutes. Even today to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf.

You're listening to Insight for living and to learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit us online@insideworld.org. Well today's message is message number four in a brand-new 12 part series. The Chuck is called, clinging to hope it's also the title of a brand-new book from Chuck and if you're looking to introduce a friend to Chuck's teaching, or maybe searching for a book that suitable for your small group at church. This is the one all 12 chapters describe precarious moments when our only choice is to cling to hope. For instance, there's a chapter on clinging to hope when suffering makes its mark and another chapter on clinging to hope when thorns rip our pride to purchase a copy of clinging to hope and follow the simple instructions@insight.org/hope or call us if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 just before we sign off all of us here at Insight for living, would like you to know that were asking God to use this study to infuse hope into your life and home and that spirit were inviting you to join us in taking God's hope all across our country and even throughout the world with vision 195 to give a donation today online, go to insight.org or you can call us if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888, and a reminder that this coming Sunday morning.

You're invited to enter the worship center at Stone Breyer Community Church by viewing the online stream.

You can watch the service in real time, or watch the recording, you'll find all the instructions@insight.org/Sundays in March, 20, 23 insight for living ministries is hosting an unforgettable journey to Israel carefully planned to deepen your understanding of the Bible and draw you closer to God hears Chuck's window for thousands of years. No place is been more meaningful to God's children in the land of Israel. The rugged landscape reminds us to find refuge in God alone. The fertile valleys invite us to follow our ship Jerusalem's position at the very center of the world announces the good news of Christ to every nation, and now you can see Israel with Chuck Swindoll at Insight for living ministries March 5 through the 16th 2023. Every time I visited the holy land of returned home with the refreshed part for God and a renewed vision for the world really. I mean it every time it's all want you to have the same life changing experience to learn more, go to insight.org/events call this number 1-888-447-0444 insight for living ministries toward Israel is paid for and made possible by only those who choose to attend. I Bill Meyer, Chuck Swindoll talks about clinging to hope when calamity crashes in Monday on insight for living. The preceding message when unexpected test rattler world was copyrighted in 2019 and 2022 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2022 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited