Sermon Outline for Sunday, 29 June 2014 by Gary Lee Parker

Sermon Outline for Sunday, 29 June 2014 by Gary Lee Parker
Title: God Does Test
Scripture Text: Genesis 22:1-14
Genesis 22:1 After all this, God tested Abraham. God said, “Abraham!”
“Yes?” answered Abraham. “I’m listening.”
2 He said, “Take your dear son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I’ll point out to you.”
3-5 Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants and his son Isaac. He had split wood for the burnt offering. He set out for the place God had directed him. On the third day he looked up and saw the place in the distance. Abraham told his two young servants, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I are going over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and gave it to Isaac his son to carry. He carried the flint and the knife. The two of them went off together.
7 Isaac said to Abraham his father, “Father?”
“Yes, my son.”
“We have flint and wood, but where’s the sheep for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham said, “Son, God will see to it that there’s a sheep for the burnt offering.” And they kept on walking together.
9-10 They arrived at the place to which God had directed him. Abraham built an altar. He laid out the wood. Then he tied up Isaac and laid him on the wood. Abraham reached out and took the knife to kill his son.
11 Just then an angel of God called to him out of Heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Yes, I’m listening.”
12 “Don’t lay a hand on that boy! Don’t touch him! Now I know how fearlessly you fear God; you didn’t hesitate to place your son, your dear son, on the altar for me.”
13 Abraham looked up. He saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 Abraham named that place God-Yireh (God-Sees-to-It). That’s where we get the saying, “On the mountain of God, he sees to it.”(The Message)
Purpose: The idea that God calls us to sacrifice today something we love to see if we still love Him above what He is asking us to sacrifice.
Theme: God’s Tests Leads to Growth in Grace.
Introduction: I do remember reading that Jesus said that God does not tempt, but maybe he was referring to the distinction and misinterpretation of the law by people. Here we have God definitely tempting and testing Abraham to see how much he loves God compared to the son God gave to him in his and Sarah’s old age. Truly, when we are tempted by the evil one we are tempted to sin, but as we are tempted and tested by God He leads us to see more of His glory as we obey Him. Look what happened as Abraham and Isaac were going to the top of the Mount to sacrifice and Isaac asked his father where the lamb was for the sacrifice. Apparently, Abraham and Isaac have sacrificed together to the Lord and Abraham simply answered that God will provide. Then when they arrived at the spot to offer the sacrifice, Abraham tied up Isaac and place him on the altar where he was about ready to kill him with a knife until God spoke to Abraham not to kill his son. Abraham then noticed there was a ram in the bushes that they used for the sacrifice as he told his son, Isaac, God will provide. Ever since my own son, James, was one and one half, I grew to love him and for six months it was decided that during the separation and divorce that he would live with his mother since she had an apartment and I did not. Those were the hardest days of my life because his mother would not even allow me to see him or talk with him during this time. She even told me to go on living as if I do not have a son. Wow! I struggled during this time, but God came back to me with a little about my own father’s story even though he left my own mom six months before I was born. My father was married and had another son with another woman when he joined the U.S. Navy during World War II. This woman divorced him when he was aboard ship in the Pacific Ocean. This must have been devastating for him especially since I heard his ship was kamkazied and he suffered a burned out lung. After the war, he was dealing with tuberculosis and was ministered by the Phoenix VA. It was unidentified then, but I am sure he had PTSD which is why he acted or reacted the way he did even after he married my Mom and my older sister was born. At the time my Mom discovered she was pregnant again, he was off on his “binge” since he was working as a migrant farmer in the southwest of the United States. Anyway, back to my son as this story came to me then I returned to Las Vegas and lived with a friend from church until I found employment and my own studio apartment. Miraculously or by God’s Grace, I was given temporary custody of my son since his mother placed him in a foster home, Mormon foster system, without telling the family court of Nevada. After three months, along with testing of my son for his developmental delays and my own training as a parent, I was given full physical and legal custody of my son. Through this time, I struggled with how to do this and many times I cried to sleep after he was asleep asking God what to do. Even after I finally entered seminary after answering God’s call, people would asked me if I ever thought about giving him up to do ministry better, but they did not know that that issue was settled a long time ago. I loved and still love my son, but not more than I love God with my whole being and God was saying that my son is part of the ministry he has called me to do. Yes, through this time I have been alluded from being ordained as an elder whether in the Church of the Nazarene or the United Methodist Church, but God is guiding me to work with the Task Force of Disability Ministries to allow His vision of the Global Methodist Nazarene Lamb’s Hope to work with the existing ministries in both churches to expand to every congregation to ministry with people who are differently abled and their families and caregivers. How have you had to sacrifice your children to be obedient to God in discovering their return to your care? I pray you have not sacrificed your children on the altars of money, success, and material desires to see your children separated from you. Let us Pray for God’s transformation and redemption!
I. God Challenges Abraham.
A. God commands Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
B. God considers how much Abraham really loves Him.
C. Abraham sets out to sacrifice Isaac as God commanded.
II. Abraham servants behind and takes Isaac, the fire, and the wood.
A. Isaac ask his father, Abraham, where the lamb for sacrifice is.
B. Abraham simply says that God will provide.
C. Abraham binds Isaac and goes to kill him, but God intervenes.
III. The times in our lives God ask us to sacrifice our own children.
A. We, too often, sacrifice our children for success.
B. We, too often, sacrifice our children for money.
C. We. too often, sacrifice our children for material possessions.
Conclusion: We come to realize that we have a tendency to sacrifice our children on the altar of societies standards rather than God’s standard where we love the world more than God. God is asking us to love Him above everything which results in building authentic relationships with our children, family, and other people. We confess to repent of our sins for sacrificing our children on the altar of the world’s standards to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, body, and spirit as well as to love all other people as God loves us especially our children and family.
Invitation: We are invited to renew our love for God with our whole being as we take His body and eat and take His blood and drink through the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. We come singing the hymn “The God of Abraham praise, Who reigns enthroned above” by (attributed to) Daniel ben Judah; Paraphraser: Thomas Olivers (1770):
1. The God of Abraham praise, 
who reigns enthroned above; 
Ancient of Everlasting Days, 
and God of Love; 
Jehovah, great I AM! 
by earth and heaven confessed; 
I bow and bless the sacred name 
forever blest.
2. The great I AM has sworn; 
I on this oath depend. 
I shall, on eagle wings upborne, 
to heaven ascend.
I shall behold God's face; 
I shall God's power adore, 
and sing the wonders of God's grace 
forevermore.
3. The heavenly land I see, 
with peace and plenty blest; 
a land of sacred liberty, 
and endless rest.
There milk and honey flow, 
and oil and wine abound, 
and trees of life forever grow 
with mercy crowned.
4. The God who reigns on high 
the great archangels sing, 
and "Holy, holy, holy!" cry 
"Almighty King! 
Who was, and is, the same, 
and evermore shall be: 
Jehovah, Lord, the great I AM, 
we worship thee!"
Benediction: May God lead you to receive more of His Grace as you are obedient to His tests.
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