The Sacrifice of Faith

Today on Renewing Your Mind. God asked Abraham to take his son, his only son, the son, whom he loved Isaac and personally journey with him for three days while the child was robust full of health not in any life-threatening disease, and by his own hand fingers to kill him. Story chronicled for us in Genesis chapter 22 isn't written in the abstract.

It really happened and think for a moment how agonizing that must've been a loving father today on Renewing Your Mind will hear this story of sacrifice and faith is Dr. RC Sproul, Genesis 22 begins with these words.

Now it came about after these things that God tested Abraham and God said to him, Abraham, and he said here I am, God said, take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you, then we read on the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from the distance God and asked them to just go there and say the luck I want to do it and I want to do it quickly. Imagine having to contemplate four days the task of killing your own so I remember when my wife and I and our family first moved to Western Pennsylvania to begin linking your ministry first facility that we had was in the mountain area a few miles outside of the town of Lincoln here in the land had been purchased by a wealthy widow who lives in that region, and yet understand that the Lincoln near Valley area in western Pennsylvania is sort of a playground for the great industrial tycoons of of the steel industry in the coal industry of Pittsburgh. It's for the melons play in the Heinz's and the Frick's, and so on, and the woman that began there gave the initial grant of the property for later ministry was the widow of the late great Jay Hartwell Hillman was one of the greatest industrialists in American history. And when we came to the scene there to start this ministry. Mrs. Hillman greeted us and she said I have a special present for you to begin this work and she went outside she came in with two incredibly beautiful German Shepherd puppies. As she explained she said well she said one of these is from my letter and the other one is from the melon families litter. At first I said I don't know about the bloodlines of the animals but the bloodlines of their owners. You know, can hardly be at a higher than the melons at melons who have produced these animals and we had this magnificent black and gold female German Shepherd and then this magnificent St. Paul Shepherd who was the grandson of the reigning grand Victor now the grand Victor is the grand this German Shepherd in all the light enough. That's like a horse breeder buying the grandson of Secretariat were man-of-war or something like that. And these dogs were born on Palm Sunday and so they were named before we receive them as gifts, and the female's name was hallelujah and the male's name was José and I had lots of fun with that as I go out and call these dogs hallelujah people in the neighborhood thought a charismatic.

It just moved it is. I was always yelling hosanna and hallelujah out around the neighbor well was only a couple of weeks after we moved in. In fact, there were still some construction going on around the house. We had a dog door built in to the back part of the house so that the dogs could come in and out on their own and this one morning I was in the kitchen and all of a sudden the mail hosanna came running through the dog door and as soon as I saw him I couldn't believe what happened.

I looked and he was grotesque, his head was two or three times the normal size of his head. I said the best. I said look at this dog.

The only thing I could imagine was that somehow the dog had gotten into a hornets nest had been stung a couple hundred times and is headed swollen so greatly and so we picked him up and we took him to the veterinary and the vet examined him carefully and he discovered to his chagrin, three deep fang marks on the dog's face and head, and he said this dog is either gotten his face in a nest of poisonous snakes, or one snake has stricken him three times, but he's received a lot of venom and he said this is the worst case of snakebite that I've ever seen in an animal. He said Dr. scroll.

I don't think your dog Bill survived, but I left. Hosanna, there went home and waited hoped and the next day I called in. The vet said he survived the first 24 hours which is very important in this kind of a situation to the thing I'm concerned about now. Dr. scroll is that the dog's eyes are swollen shut.

And sometimes when that happens, with an animal that is so depressing to them when they can't see that they lose their will to live and not just give up and die. He said, but I'm talking to the animal and trying everything I know were given all these injections and so the next day or couple days later he called me said I've got good news. The dog is still survived. His eyes are open. I think was in intensive care in the animal hospital for 10 days or two weeks or so, and finally the day came when I can go and bring the dog home and before I went to pick him up.

The vet called me again and he said that his father something I want to tell you before you, he said, whenever an animal experiences an injection of this kind of venom in their skin. The result is called neck process and if you know your Greek you know what necrosis needs necrosis simply means the death of the skin tissue. He said, so your dog has lost its skin from its face, so be prepared for a shock when you come to pick up the wall with all of those words. I was not prepared. I had no idea. I walked in there and I saw an animal that had lost literally lost its face, the skin, the tissue had actually rotted and fallen off his nose at his sinus cavities were exposed and it was the most hideous thing I've ever seen.

And when I looked at that animal. The first thought that went through my mind is why didn't they put them to sleep.

The vet said sooner or later this will heal. He'll be severely scarred. He said it's important that he'd have administered to him. This particular salve twice a day and he gave me this big jar of this salve to put on the dog's face and he gave me rubber gloves to use to administer. I brought the dog home and we prepared convalescent quarters for him and our grandma.

The rotting flesh ladies in general are so putrid that the odor he couldn't bring into the house and I arrange this corner of the garage for the dog and when I brought them in there. It was like he's length away, you know how sometimes animals almost sense that they've lost their beauty and their ashamed there embarrassed for you to look at them and I had to go through the first experience of applying that staff and I carefully put that stuff on my hands.

But how can I touchmy hand and enjoying it. That said, when I came close and it was just something I was quick as I could look and when I started to put that salve on his face very, very gently dog looked at me with its highest in her life, for they were human and it was like he was saying to me. I know this is distasteful for you. I know this is hard for you but it's alleviating my pay and I know this sounds crazy, but in that instance. Something happened between that dog, so that by the second time I went in to put the salve I forgot the gloves and I just put that stuff on my bare hands and wiped it on his face and I did it twice a day until this hard, thick coat like leather formed over the mucous membrane and the scar tissue covered what once had been his face and this magnificent grandson of the grand Victor now look like the Quasimodo of the canine world, with his face twisted and distorted into what strangers consider to be a perpetual snarl, but I like to think of was kind of a friendly grin but that dog and I were inseparable from that day for I mean when I would lecture. Hosanna, it would be by my feet. He would sleep in my side when I would lecture if I would walk out the room he would walk if I want to the woods.

He wept with. I used to love to go but Honey's upland game birds for grouse semester thing and one cold winter day I was out and I had to cross over a barbed wire fence and every hunter knows that hunting safety requires that you never walk over a fence, especially barbed wire fence during our life. You take the rifle you slide it under the fence or put it aside and you get yourself over first. Without the gun, and so on and I went through this procedure and I had a wool coat on and I started to climb over this fence and just as I was going over it. I got my coat caught on it and the wires pulled taught as the barbed wire caught in my coat and it is sort of just sprung me and flipped me literally head over heels.

I came down hard on my back on my spine on a rock. When I hit the center my spine on this rock pile. I could not move. I was numb. I couldn't move my legs and it was like a scene out of. Lastly, you my dog instantly hosanna knew I was in trouble and he came up on the rock pile by now. He was full-grown at big barrel chest 95 pounds note in hosanna soda slithered put his head underneath my arms and my chest and snuggled underneath me so that I could wrap my arms around his chest and he physically drag me off that pile and got me so that I could recover. And so incredibly gentle, loving, strong winds, about two and half years old. He had a convulsion and I took him to the vet and I said he had this terrible convulsion in the Fed examined to know what gave him some medication.

The next day had another couple.

The next day another convulsion the day after that to convulsions and then we start having 3456 convulsions of the day and the vet tried every medicine that he knew if he said Arsenio here I can think of is that were getting a final reaction to the damage to the dogs brain from the original snakebite and now the degree of medication required for this animal to be able to even function was so debilitating that he was in a pathetic state and the vet says the only humane thing to do is to use the euphemism is to put this dog asleep on home so I have to talk to the kids.

I've talked to best that we talked about it investing.

I greets the dog has to be put to sleep. She's lost.

We do it. I said well I sued.

It shouldn't have to go and pay the bill to have a veterinarian given the lethal injection.

He loves to hunt with me I'll just take them out tomorrow in the woods and when he's on point and he's excited in his attention is drawn like Lenny and George and of mice and men when he's not looking I'll just turn the sites of my rifle get him in my sights and I'll put them out of his misery instantly and I thought about looking through the scope of my gun at that dog and shooting – no way the war I can do some and have to take him to the vet. She said will we take him to the vet tomorrow. I said honey I can't take that dog my dog and put them in my car and drive 10 minutes to the vet Marian knowing that I'm taking him to his death.

If that dog looked at me from the side on the seat and drive right off the road.

I can't do that I should look someday this week. Don't tell me what day it is. Have one of the students here at the study center when I least expected.

Have the student take the dog at tell me when it's done three days later I came investment made to San Jose's debt.

Had the student taken to that was my dog.

It wasn't my son I couldn't take my dog, who was a mystery. Who was going to die anyway in a car for 15 minutes to be mercifully kill God asked Abraham to take his son, his only son, the son, whom he loved Isaac and personally journey with him for three days while the child was robust full of health not in any life-threatening disease, and by his own hand fingers to kill him. Christians think about that and the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place for a distance of Abraham said to his young men, you stay here with the donkey and I and the boy will go yonder and we will worship and return to you all over again how the people love to read that see the faith of Abraham. He said working to go worship and we will return to Abraham knew that everything was gonna turn out baloney what you think Abraham's going to save the men we think Abraham's going to say in front of his son how you guys stay here and watch the animals while Isaac and I go up here and worship, and then I'll be back. It's not to do.

Finally Isaac spoke to Abraham's father said my father later said here I am, my son and Isaac said, behold, define the Kennett were worse the lamb for the burnt father. You cut the firewood we made this long journey were going to go up and make a sacrifice, but don't we have to have a lamb for a sacrifice. You forgot the most important thing I would say. What is he thinking when he's listening to those words and seeing the look at his sons eye is eager to say to Isaac I didn't bring a lab Isaac because you are at and Abraham said God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son take the, out of their God will provide. God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son, my son is the Lamb that God is going to provide for the burnt off so the two of them walked on together and there they came to the place which God had told him, and Abraham built the altar arrange the woods delaying to the last possible second giving away Isaac's helping him build the altar.

Isaac still looking around for this land is going to be supplied. Abraham's building the altar Abraham stacking the wood. I can see Isaac handing his father pieces of the board. The put up on the altar and once he puts about that and Abraham says commuter and he picks up his and he puts him on the altar and he takes out the chords and the rooms and he pains him to the all. How stupid is Isaac. The truth is dawning he's looking at his father is nicer say how clue to its then Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son Isaac is looking up he sees his father pickup and he looks up and he sees his father raise his stretching it above the chest. Isaac is looking up he seeing the knife, he realizes that his father is going to plunge that knife into his heart and just as Abraham is ready to bring the knife down into the test of his son. We read that the angel of the Lord called to hear from heaven, and said a prayer. Abraham stopped trying them… Here I am, like, where have you been here I am.

The angel said to not stretch out your hand against the land, do nothing for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me and Abraham raised his eyes and he looked, and behold, behind him.

Arrange him caught by its horns in the thick and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up as a burnt offering unto the Lord, and Abraham called the name of that place. The Lord will provide Mount Moriah, where is it according to current archaeology Mount Moriah was a place in the south part of Palestine that later was changed and its name was called Jerusalem or Mount Zion, the historic place were Abraham offered Isaac is now considered to be the site of the Dome of the rock in the old city of Jerusalem 2000 years later on this same mountain, God took his his only son, the son, whom he left Jesus and he took him to that same mountain and he fastened him to a vertical altar of sacrifice, but this time, ladies and gentlemen.

Nobody hollered stop. God brought the knife into the heart of his only begotten son fulfilling in blood in time and in space. The promise that was dramatized and symbolized by the test of Abraham's child, God said, Abraham I will provide the sacrifice. I will provide the way so the 2000 years later, a prophet came out of the desert and Palestine and call the whole nation to take a bath because he said the kingdom of God is coming.

And while he was involved in this process of preparing people for the breakthrough, the kingdom of God.

He saw a man approaching him in the distance, and he stopped what he was doing and he sang the Agnew's day, he said, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin lamb without God has provide his son is only son one loves Jesus ago ever tire of hearing that message. It's the incredible story of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ were glad you joined us for the Sunday edition of Renewing Your Mind.

I'm Lee Webb, we have heard from us so many of you over the years that this is one of your favorite messages by Dr. Spruill, the one where he talks about his beloved German Shepherd. It's a story that sticks with you, that's for sure. In the point he was making sticks as well. This message is part of a collection of 10 of RC's most popular messages and we like to send you the full set on 10 audio CDs request the classic collection when you contact us today with your gift of any amount to leader ministries. This is an online offer only today so go to Renewing Your Mind.org and again we want to thank you for listening today. We are so glad that we can be part of your day. Our goals in ministry is to come alongside the church as a partner organization. Never, never wanting to replace the local church and with that in mind, I hope you've spent time with a local body of believers today and that your part of the local church. Dr. scrolls classic collection contains some of his most popular, most requested messages and that we hope you'll join us again next Sunday for a very practical lesson title. The goal of Christian living right here on Renewing Your Mind