Surrender to Me and Multiply

Life with Jeannie Greer. The only thing that will drive you onward as a husband as a father in ministry through difficult times. The financial hardship in a season where you feel like you don't know what's going on. The only thing that drives you onward is your confidence in the goodness and the character and the promises of God. Okay, we've been taking a lot of looks in the mirror during this series. Today is no exception. Will see today that Abraham is given the ultimate test of surrender and sacrifice will learn that God is committed to us far more than we can ever imagine. Don't forget today is the last day to get Pastor JD new evangelistic book titled searching for Christmas to make sure you stick around until the end of the program for special offer. Now here's Pastor Janie test test you're going to have to go to was well this one is by far for Abraham. The most difficult is ever faced. Contacts really quickly by Genesis 22. Abraham is finally had his miracle baby. They named this baby Isaac, which means literally in Hebrew, son of laughter because this whole thing is just funny.

Well seem to understand that anything about Abraham and I Abraham and Sarah were both about 100 when they had this miracle baby. Which means that for their birthdays. That year, Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac all got diapers right and they just think of that's funny is the minimum sum of laughter. Genesis 22 verse one after these things.

After all the birth things. Isaac is now sell for about 15 years old.

After these things God tested Abraham keywords one on oneself in the Bible and said to him, Abraham and Abraham responds with here and mine out.

Jeremiah is not just Hebrew for hello is a way of saying I stand ready now for your command. It is a statement that indicates surrender your mind ready for whatever you're going to say to be frank with you, I find that reaction that response pretty remarkable considering that every time God is called Abraham. Up to this point he seems to ask him to leave something good to give up something cherished or to attempt something impossible. I'll be honest, I think by this point in Abraham's life becomes like no what is it that you were going to ask me this time. I remember a college there was a mission speaker who was pretty frequent at the church that I attended that he was so persuasive and so challenging about the mission field.

I just read and when he would speak because I just knew that this was the week that I would always call me the mission field, one of my roommates is likely speaking to churches week. I told him and he was like they're ready for convection. Abraham doesn't respond this way and is pretty remarkable in one reason that he would not respond that way because Abraham is learned to trust God. Abraham says here my because you trust God to see the difference in the life of drudgery and a life of joy is based on one factor and that is whether you actually trust God.

If you have a life of faith and joy. It is because you have learned to trust God, you show me a happy Christian you show me a consistent Christian and also you somebody who's learned to trust you show me a faltering Christian you show me a Christian to go through a lot of ups and downs and not golden, and am wondering if all else are you somebody was yet to learn how good God is and how committed he is to it is no kind is nothing to do with how strong the character you have everything to do with your confidence in the goodness of God. Verse two. So God says God says take your son by the way Hebrew scholars tell us that this point the language here in Hebrew. Suddenly slows down dramatically. Scholars that you should always read it like you would put a period after every couple of words after every word for emphasis. We would really like this take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I shall tell you the word for son in Hebrew, the word man is used 10 times over and over and over again, your son, your only son.

The son you love it reverberates to Abraham's soul because what God is asking here sees on believable you see this child represented everything that Abraham this was the child of promise.

This was what they had left everything for all their hopes and all their dreams and all their affections on this child now was an old man.

This is all Abraham really loves and lives for the world anymore. Think about Abraham as Richie was an old man, which means that which means that all he basically did every day was play with Isaac and now God is saying to him about that thing that he loves to be lives for any trust himself with all forgot to me now as a burnt offering, I know you might ask the question here will help you got a rash something like that and I will deal with that in just a moment, but for now, right now. Just know that you can let this represent for you that one thing in your life that you treasure and trust the most. That one thing that makes life worth living for.

You as the tax procedure, but I noticed that nobody's talking nobody's talking is only silence. What is that one thing for you that if you lost that you would be speechless.

You would just be in stunned silence. Verse three. So Abraham arose early in the morning, saddled his donkey and two young men with him and his son Isaac, and he cut the wood for the burnt offering in the arose and went to the place which God had told him verse four on the third day the third day. Honestly, I think in three days I will talk myself out of this. See Abraham's faith is not just an initial response is not something emotional in the service. Abraham's faith is going to come from somewhere different, say that five minute Abraham said to his young men stay here with the donkey.

I am the boy will go over there and worship. That's an interesting word that he chose to describe what it was in a new worship and what's this we will come again to you in Hebrew the word for come again is is plural, which Abraham is one all by himself and he same were going to come back not just me.

This can be two of us to come back. He knew somehow he was convinced that they were both coming back because he knew God had a promise to fulfill. And he did know how to work out, but he knew that was going to work out as God promised in verse six and Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and related on Isaac his son and he took the land in his hand firing the knife and they both went on together just the two of them in Isaac at some point said to his daddy Abraham daddy and his daddy said here my my son and he said, behold dad I see the fire to see the wood but where's the lamp of the burnt offering and that the most important part of the offering. Abraham said God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son now. By the way you see what Abraham is been doing for three days and that dark silence is been rehearsing to himself the promises of God. He was probably recounting the encounter in Genesis 15, where God if you recall, made himself responsible for both sides of the covenant, not just his party made himself responsible for Abraham's promise broker part of it. You can see Abraham walking up that mountain in silence.

Just saying to himself and God. God, you said this. This is what you promised.

I don't see how it's going to happen, but God you've gotta provide. I don't know what you're going to do this is so important lesson. What drove Abraham up the mountain was not the strength of his character he was. Not Abraham say you can do it you can do it be a brave man what he was saying in his heart is God is faithful, the only thing that will drive you onward as a husband as a father in ministry through difficult times. The financial hardship in a season where you feel like you don't know what's going on. The only thing that drives you onward is your confidence in the goodness and the character and the promises of God, even the youths shall falter.

Even the strongest men shall utterly fall, says Isaiah, but it's those who wait upon the Lord. They are the ones you will renew their strength.

They are the ones who will mount up with wings as eagles. They're the ones who will walk and not be weary of the ones will run and never grow faint. You want to fly like an eagle. It has nothing to do with Euboea Superman is superwoman.

It has to do with you. Understanding and believing the promises of God. That's what turns people into heroes of faith verse nine when they came to the place of which God told him Abraham bill that alter their delay. The wood in order amount Isaac his son and laid them up on the altar on top wood. By the way. Kudos to Isaac here right if Isaac were strong enough to carry the wood.

He definitely would've been strong enough to evade or overcome a frail old man river scholar saves a least 15 sums that he may been 20 years old by this point. He is calling upon the altar trusting God and his dad. The only way the only way Isaac could do this is if he had inherited his daddy's trust in God in a way that he did. That is by hearing his daddy talk about the promises of God all the time and then he saw his daddy live out his faith in the promises of God is not bringing your kid the church is not calling the Christian is not a Christian school is going to do that is when they hear you in difficult times rehearsed the promises of God and to live it out so consistently and so faithfully that there trust. Your trust becomes their trust and when it comes time for them to get on the altar to do so without question. First, in then Abraham reached out his hand into the night to slaughter his son now me take a moment to address the question many of you asked a moment ago how could God ever command something like this. See, this is not just a command of murder Isaac. If so, Abraham could have just stabbed him in the 10 been done with it something much deeper is going on. You see, the offering of the firstborn in the Old Testament was supposed to symbolize the debt that every man and every woman owed to God throughout the Old Testament God lays claim to her firstborn, because her firstborn represents our very lives. So in the Hebrew for sacrificial system. God requires the firstborn of the cattle were the chief sacrifice to him as well as the firstfruits of the great. The only way you could spare the life of the firstborn was to make a substitute sacrifice to have something to release the firstborn from its obligation. So, for example, at the Passover, when God delivers the children of Israel, he kills the firstborn of every household in Egypt except the ones taken a firstborn lamb and taken the blood and put it on the door posts. In other words, the life of the firstborn was forfeited unless some sort of redeeming sacrifice was made, God was showing through this that there is a debt that every family owes to him and it goes to the core of our very lives.

It is a debt we owe, because of our sin.

We all of us are underneath the condemnation of debt, a death, and so this firstborn represents a debt we owe to God.

That's why Abraham understood what I was asking of him back in verse 11 with the knife now suspended in the air.

The angel of the Lord suddenly appears from heaven, and says Abraham, Abraham, and he said here. My verse 12 do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him.

For now, I know now I know says God you fear God, see you have not withheld your son, you have not withheld your only son, from me and I see now the love that you have for me. I see the commitment to me because you wouldn't even withhold Isaac. Abraham proved himself. Abraham pass the test.

Abraham showed that there was nothing he would not trust the God there was nowhere he would not go with God. Verse 13 and Abraham, lifted up his eyes and looked, what's this whole behind him was a ram notice that before caught in the thicket by its horns on foreign voice by its warmth and Abraham went up the ramp and offered it up as a burnt offering in the place of his son. So Abraham called what's this, the name of that place. The Lord will provide as it is said to this day on the mount of the Lord, it shall be provided.

He called it Jehovah Gyro which means God is my provider missing when you give a name to something in Hebrew.

It's very significant because it is supposed to encapsulate or summarize the significance of what happened there do not find it interesting that the name of the place is the Lord will provide. Not how Abraham obeyed him the whole story about how Abraham obeys why would he call the place. The Lord provides is because you see something more important than Abraham's impressive obedience that is being demonstrated to us here is God's commitment to us that is being demonstrated. You see, centuries later, another son, another one and only son, whom the father loves walk up a mountain and again that son would willingly crawl up on the wood but this time the knife would not be stopped in midair. This time the knife would slash straight into the heart of the beloved son, Jesus, God, son by the lady's mountains of Mariah you we notice you ever wonder what it make you want three days to the mountains of Mariah close around to where he was the mountains of Mariah scholars tell us right outside of what later became Jerusalem. Scholars say that is precisely the place were Mount Calvary would've been were Jesus was crucified on the cross. In other words, on the very mountain where Jesus would one day die drama was enacted hundreds of years before Jesus came. It is as if Abraham plays the part of God the father and Isaac plays the part of Jesus the son, but only up until the moment that God stop the sacrifice and pointed to the land: the thornbushes you see this story is not first and foremost about Abraham's commitment to God is about God's commitment Abraham, which is why they named the place, God will provide. Not Abraham will obey, but there's a profound connection you see between the two is a connection between your understanding of God's commitment to you and your and your willingness to give everything to him. It is only when you see that God has not withheld his son, his only son to somebody love for you is only then that you will release everything that you have to him.

For those of you who will not give God everything for those of you for whom the Christian life is drudgery is precisely because you do not understand the commitment of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know he was ready for your sake he became poor, so that he you through his poverty might become rich.

Watch what happens as a result of all this for 15 the needs of the Lord called Abraham a second time from heaven and he said by myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because eyes don't align stuff in your Bible. That's what you know I because you done this, you have not withheld your son, your only son. I surely will bless you and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven as the sand that is on the seashore menu also brings all the nations of the earth be blessed because you have obeyed my voice. It is because of obedience that the blessing will extend to the earth was because of Jesus is obedience to willingly crawl up on the altar that you and I got to be saved by extension, listen to this is also by Abraham's obedience and our obedience and the blessing extends to the rest of the world, if not the God needs our Isaac.

He does not need our eyes that God could make as many sons as he needed to from Abraham, it's that when we take our first in our best when we take what is most precious to us and we offer written surrender to God. That is the means by which God multiplies the kingdom in the earth is the means by which other people come to faith in Christ.

It ought to make you eat out to inspire you and scare you what you do literally changes the eternities of people around the world. You and I are sitting here because Abraham, by the grace of God, obey their other people who will one day sit in the kingdom as sons and daughters of the King because you when I do the same thing that Abraham did in the chapter here.

Which leads me to to I would say profound questions I need to ask you about your life.

The first one is very important. Do you actually understand the gospel to see a lot of people read stories like this one thing is all about how well they can obey. They thing on my to be like Abraham on opening this minute is Abraham I hope that maybe maybe golf Big Island Abraham Namibia let me in, but I'm not as good as a brick story is not about how Abraham obeyed, compared to how well you obey this story solely about the fact that Jesus would obey in your place. He is the son who did it all so that you could go free, your Isaac in this story, you get to go free while the land dies your place all you do is believe and receive it in response to that you realize that a God who saves you when you are hopeless and gave everything for you in your place is a God who deserves a full and total and unrestricted offering of your life back to him were the whole realm of nature mine, that would be a present far too small.

Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all that were demands, they are not entirely demand you give me this room, and upon as you that were demands being deserves. In light of how hopeless I was.

In light of the nothingness that I had a God who rescued me.

This way there is nothing I can withhold from him.

Everything has to be a blank check that I lay down at his feet, because that is what is worthy of, and that's what he deserves full and total sacrifice comes from understanding the sacrifice of Jesus made for you. Which leads me to the second question in response.

Are you fully surrendered in all things to him in response to you fully surrendered in all things to him in response to what God's done for you. You offer yourself as a living sacrifice back to him had given him that blank check that we often talk about a blank check process anywhere, anytime, anyplace, you catch it whenever you want, for whatever amount my name assigned to it because all that I am all that I have all that I ever hope to be now and forever is your possession. I owe my life to you. The point is not that you identify your Isaac and give it to God is about what's that's what God needs from you.

The point is that you give God all things, which includes your Isaac, your Isaac just represents that one thing that makes full surrender difficult for you. What is that for you. What is that thing that would make full and total surrender difficult for you that, last hold out.

This is God you have anything that opens this point is not the God beat your Isaac. The point is that in every single part of your life in response to God's extravagant give you an offer yourself back without restriction to him. You see Abraham's offering on this mountain encapsulates the things that we have said should should should should characterize how we offer ourselves back to God during the season. I told you multiplies, not about us applying some need for God and doing some down the world that he needs done multiplies primarily about us saying… You will you everything and God promised to bless. So as you giving yourself the eyes were going offer ourselves back to you told you that apart from faith. There is no work that God does in and through us is always supposed to fill it a risk because that's what it means to live by faith member that me analogy the seed use of the first week when a farmer takes eat and he planted a seed as a risk because you can take most seeds and grind them up for food and consume them to take a seat and put it in the ground you're taking a risk because you're saying the sun shone the rain done, the messiness is going to go to waste.

There's a risk that is involved if I told you CS Lewis is what in the near Christianity's is the only safe guideline. The only safe guideline that I can give you forgiving says CS Lewis I think you's in the New Testament about this.

He said the only safe God, likening that I can give you is to give in a way that scares is only when it scares you. You know that you're taking a risk and you know that your trusting God is not the multiply both for your provision for the blessing of the world. When I look at Cain and Abel. Last week we saw 22 young men who made an offering to God. Both of them were generous offerings. The only distinguishable difference between Cain and Abel's offering I showed you was that Abel gave of his first he gave before the rest of it came in, which meant the first of the best one for God.

He trusted God with what God would provide. After change, by contrast, was very generous. The king waited until was all in so we could see what he had and then he gave out of the excess came as I told you what we call a December giver somebody waits to the end. Make sure there are things taken care of and then I'll be excess they give the God they were both generous offerings, but God was pleased with Abel's and he disliked a and the reason is not because of the amount.

The reason is because of the faith that he the one declared Cain had no faith enabled it and without faith it is impossible to please God says the writer of Hebrews, so faith ought to be reflected in in what you go through number two sacrifice sacrifice is about Abraham, love and cherish most of the world, we often find sacrifice here is giving up something you love or something you love even more, God says Abraham the way that I know that you love me the way that I know that you want me is because even that thing that is most precious to you. You laid on the altar and said God even that is something that you are in control of you see what we do want to record to reflect the fact that our hearts is declaring to God.

This is what I love you. It cost me. It costs me but this is my declaration of your value to me is a story I haven't told you this time around with one most profound stories in the Old Testament about about giving to God about responding to God. It is a story that king David Wright for the end of his life. King David is going to make an offering to God and he's going to give the piece of property that will one day become the property to build the temple on and so I God comes to David and says David, I own this piece of property that will be great for the temple. Why don't I just give it to you and then use give it to God and David respond second Samuel 2424 by saying no, I must pay you full price because I cannot give to the Lord that which cost me nothing. Now if this is been about supplying the needs of God and David when I said that because you develop years of property. Hey, if anything adjusters really got David knew that his response was not about meeting the needs of God.

His response was about making a declaration to God about the amount that he loved it so he said I can given the Lord that would cost me nothing. I got to given the Lord that which cost me dearly because only then will I be able to make a statement that shows that I love him.

You see, you measure generosity in the Bible, not by the size of the gift you measure generosity in the Bible by the size of the sacrifice your about Abraham's commitment to God's commitment Abraham meeting truth to remember each and every day.

So many of you this year and we'd love to hear from even more of you and thankful for listeners like Howell who wrote to us recently and said to my wife and I are 800 miles from home, receiving cancer treatments.

We listen to some a life almost every night before falling asleep God's message through Pastor JD is a wonderful blessing to us how we want you to know that will pray that God would that limit is. After some a life community which you join us in praying for Cal that God would would would just work a miracle in his family and would sustain his family during this time give him healing. He and his wife Beth able to trust in Jesus and continue to bless others with the joy of their salvation. So is an honor stamp you and pray for you if you've been impacted by the Ministry of Senate line to hear from you.

You can reach at any time@jeanniegreer.com. Please reach out and share today the final day to get your copy new and evangelistic. But after gaining 13 when you donate your gift helps keep these daily messages to give right now I currently think five or you can give online acting weird.Molly maid events. Thank you for joining us today member dictating tomorrow for the start of the greeny teaching theory staying Wednesday on Senate life banking career ministry