A Legacy of Faith

1. A Legacy of Faith Week of May 27, 2012

2. Outline of the Passage • Faith Tested - Genesis 22:1-3, 7-10 • Faith Proven - Genesis 22:11-14 • Faith Multiplied - Genesis 26:2-5

3. Our study will be about the faith and obedience of Abraham, a faith that not only affected his son, but the nation of Israel, and that of the entire world. Our study will help you identify ways your faithfulness to God can impact others.

4. Faith Tested Genesis 22:1-3, 7-10 1 Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to 2Abraham, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." 3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac.

5. Faith Tested When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about… 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."

6. Faith Tested And the two of them went on together. 9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

7. Faith Tested • God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac is one of the most powerful and puzzling stories in the Bible. • The story highlights one central point—FAITH. God wants to make our faith stronger. Be careful not to go in other directions: • It is not a commentary on child sacrifice; • It is not a commentary on God’s tempting someone to evil, which He cannot do;

8. God does not author evil, but He can transform it into something to potentially strengthen us. We are not to ask why God allows tests or wonder why He does not protect us from these challenges. They are simply part of life. The only variable is how we will respond when tested.

9. God does not waste His time onminorissues of our lives. • Not better time managers; • Not to help us lose weight; • Not even attend church more regularly; God’s main concern is to transform us from the inside out so our whole lives honor Him. • God realigns our most cherished priorities. His tests target not only our weaknesses but even our strengths.

10. God’s testing of Abraham highlights the importance of faith. The test: “Take your son … and offer him as a burnt offering.” But God gave no other details. • Isaac asked the obvious: “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” • Abraham could have said “You’re it.” • Abraham’s reply, “God will provide.” • Abraham trusted God even with a lack of detail as to how God would provide.

11. Abraham came to that critical juncture where trust must translate into obedience. It is so easy to say “Just trust God.” But would he (or we) obey when the solutions are not apparent? Putting our faith into action is what makes faith worth having.

12. Do you believe I can walk this high wire?

13. Do you believe I can walk this high wire pushing a cart?

14. How about a volunteer? Do you believe I can walk this high wire pushing a cart with someone in the cart?

15. Trust and Obedience "Real faith often requires us to walk the brink of trust, and then take another step of obedience. Obedience requires us to go beyond our limits of trust into the arena of uncertainty where we do not know the specifics and cannot guess God's ultimate provision." With that definition in mind, answer these questions.

16. Trust and Obedience • Did your test involve something (or someone) who was very precious to you? • Did your test require you to take a step of faith and obedience when you were not sure of the future outcome? • Did you come to learn from the test that "God" is your ultimate treasure? • Would you be willing to share your experience as an example to others in their Christian walk and life?

17. Proven Faith Genesis 22:11-14 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. 12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

18. Proven Faith 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

19. Proven Faith • An Angel, speaking for God, says, “Now, I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your only son from Me.” Sounds like God learned something? • God knew everything about Abraham; • But Abraham learned a tremendous lesson about his need to completely trust God that He would provide in every situation.

20. God came through for Abraham in a crisis and in a way he did not anticipate. • God is not really interested in our happiness. Do you know why? • God’s major concern is with our eternal joy, developed through a faith that will be tested and proven. • The depth of our faith is proven only during times of trouble. • Tests are unavoidable; But how we respond is the real question.

21. Abraham saw a ram God provided, and offered that in his son’s place. • Was it there all the time? • Substitutionary Atonement: • The ram died in place of Isaac; • Jesus become sin for us, He bore our sins; • Jesus the righteous, dying for the unrighteous. • Abraham named the place “The Lord Will Provide.” God will never failed us.

22. How Has God Come Through for You? Using the example of Abraham, how has God come through for you? • How did God act on your behalf (or are you still waiting)? • Was the provision “right there all the time”? Explain. • Were you able to recognize at the time that it was God at work in your situation? Explain.

23. Faith Multiplied Genesis 26:2-62 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.

24. Faith Multiplied 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws." 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

25. Faith Multiplied • Fast forward: • Abraham had already died (Gen. 25:8); • Afamine forced Isaac to go to the Philistine city of Gerar for food. • The Big Question: With Abraham gone would the spiritual fervor remain? • How would God’s promises to Abraham be received by future generations?

26. Isaac was the next generation. What response would he give? Of course, we know Isaac maintained that faith. Isaac’s faith meant God’s promises would be extended to him. • Isaac was there for Abraham’s greatest test. • Though frightened, he knew the conviction of his father’s faith and saw personally God’s willingness to provide. • Abraham’s faith had a lasting impact on Isaac.

27. As Christian parents, we want our children to grow up in faith. Three points to consider: • Parents are primarily responsible for their children’s spiritual development. The home is the best place for a child to see faith in practice. • Parents must allow their children to own their own faith. Children must embrace faith through personal interaction with the Lord. • Parents must accept this passing of the faith is never perfect.

28. God’s world-wide promise to Isaac - “all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring.” • We are among the people who have been blessed through a legacy of faith passed down through the centuries to your parents who passed it along to you. • Our faith has been multiplied, and will continue to be multiplied through you to your family, circles of friends and relatives.

29. Building a Legacy of Faith Think about your experiences in a parent/child relationship. Rate the three aspects of multiplying faith in your own personal experience: • Primary responsibility for the child’s spiritual commitments was? Parent’s Job with Church’s help Church’s Job Parent’s Job

30. Building a Legacy of Faith • Allowing the child to make the faith his or her own… Wasn’t talked about Refused to Give child responsibility Prayerfully accepted

31. Building a Legacy of Faith • Accepting that “the legacy of faith is not perfect” … Parents Deny Wrong- doing Wasn’t Talked about Parents admit mistakes