Abraham Trusts GOD

Abraham Trusts GOD

2025 Theme:  Faithfulness

Series Title:  Trust:  Faith’s Home

Scripture:  Genesis 22:1-19; Hebrews 11:17-19

January 19^th2025

Something to think about:

Faithfulness is believing in the best when you’re facing the worst.  It’s being willing to go the distance even when there’s no end in sight.  It’s trusting with hope when everything seems hopeless.  And it’s pressing on toward the good even when everything seems bad.

Today, in our series, Trust: Faith's Home, we come to another story of trust and faithfulness by looking at one of the most loyal men in the Bible: Abraham.  God called Abraham to become a great nation that would be His representatives to the rest of the world.  Abraham listened and obeyed God over and over again, even when God’s commands didn’t make sense. 

This story that we will be looking at today involves one of those instances when GOD’s command didn’t make sense.  Abraham is told to take Isaac, his son, to the Mountains of Moriah and offer him as a sacrifice to GOD.  What was Abraham to do?  Let’s take a look…

Turn in your Bible to:  Genesis 22:1-19

When GOD tested Abraham, he would prove faithful to do what He commanded.

Key Point:  “Abraham’s obedience demonstrated his sincere trust in GOD.”

Let’s examine the various details of this narrative this morning to understand what it means to be truly faithful and trusting.

• GOD  Abraham’s  .

Genesis 22:1-2 (NLT),  Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith.  “Abraham!” God called.

“Yes,” he replied.  “Here I am.”

² “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah.  Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

• Abraham  GOD’s command without  .

Genesis 22:3 (NLT),  The next morning Abraham got up early.  He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac.  Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.

• Abraham  the  .

Genesis 22:15-18 (NLT),  ¹⁵ Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven.  ¹⁶ “This is what the Lord says:  Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that ¹⁷ I will certainly bless you.  I will multiply your descendants^* beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.  Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.  ¹⁸ And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

Something to take home:

The writer of Hebrews tells us that…

Hebrews 11:17-19 (NLT),  ¹⁷ It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, ¹⁸ even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”^{*  19} Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again.  And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead. ^[1]

Robert Hughes reminds us that “God was testing Abraham’s willingness to obey him completely, and he stopped him before he could actually kill Isaac.  However, one day God would allow the sacrifice of his own Son for mankind’s sins.  God gave a special promise to Abraham (22:16–17) because of the combination of his obedience and faith (cf. 15:6).”^[2]

How far are you willing to go to follow GOD’s commands?  What are you willing to sacrifice in order to remain faithful to Him?  How much trust do you have that GOD has your best interest at heart? 

Like Abraham, we must be willing to trust God with everything—even the most precious and important things in our lives. We must learn to trust Him enough that when He tells us to go, we go, when He tells us to stay, we stay, and when He tells us to let go, we let go. And remember, this is never easy. Believing in and trusting God is not easy, but it is always good because He is good.

Key Point:  “Abraham’s obedience demonstrated his sincere trust in GOD.”

^* 22:17 Hebrew seed; also in 22:17b, 18.

^* 11:18 Gen 21:12.

^[1] Tyndale House Publishers. 2015. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

^[2] Hughes, Robert B., and J. Carl Laney. 2001. Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. The Tyndale Reference Library. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.