Wrestling with God’s Sacrifice

1. Read: Genesis 22:2

2. About the Text:

1) This verse helps us to understand what it means to sacrifice.

2) Why would God ask this of Abraham?

3) God doesn’t want us to love this world and the things that are in it.

4) Even the things that are most precious to us.

5) One day we will have to let it all go.

6) What will we have after that?

7) God leads by example.

8) He has demonstrated to us what it means to sacrifice.

9) He doesn’t expect from us anything less than what He is willing to do Himself.

3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. Everything belongs to God.

1) “The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1).

2) “Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine” (Job 41:11).

2. God has created a wonderful place for us to live.

1) “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food” (Genesis 1:28-29).

2) “For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: ‘I am the LORD, and there is no other’” (Isaiah 45:18).

3. He did this knowing that man would sin and corrupt the world.

1) “Cursed is the ground for your sake; ​​In toil you shall eat of it ​​All the days of your life. ​​Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, ​​And you shall eat the herb of the field. ​​In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread ​​Till you return to the ground, ​​For out of it you were taken; ​​For dust you are, ​​And to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:17-19).

2) “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

4. People also belong to God.

1) God has relinquished His control over us to give us freedom.

2) “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil… therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:15-19).

3) Man has used this freedom to sin and destroy what God made.

4) “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

5. One day God will destroy everything that is here.

1) “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).

2) “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them” (Revelation 20:11).

1. God is the creator.

1) “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

2) “He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion” (Jeremiah 10;12).

2. God humbles Himself to aid mankind.

1) “The LORD … humbles Himself to behold ​​The things that are in the heavens and in the earth? ​​He raises the poor out of the dust…. ​​He grants the barren woman a home,

2) ​​Like a joyful mother of children” (Psalm 113:4-9).

3) “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,  who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5-7).

3. He lowers Himself so that we can live with Him.

1) “The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

2) “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15).

4. Why does God do this?

1) He values people.

2) He is our example for sacrificing on behalf of others.

1. Jesus came to earth to be God’s sacrifice.

1) “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, ​​But a body You have prepared for Me. ​​In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin ​​You had no pleasure. ​​Then I said, “Behold, I have come—​​In the volume of the book it is written of Me—​​To do Your will, O God.”’” (Hebrews 10:5-7).

2) “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself” (Hebrews 7:26-27).

2. Jesus sacrificed His place in heaven.

1) ““No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven” (John 3:13).

2) “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,  who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5-7).

3. He sacrificed his power to be born as a helpless baby.

1) “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

2) “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

4. He sacrificed a normal human life.

1) “And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”” (Luke 2:49).

2) “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34).

5. He sacrificed His own body when He died on the cross.

1) “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

2) “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

1. God sacrifices His

1) System

2) Station

3) Son

2. Invitation

1) What do we learn from God’s sacrifices?

2) People are the most important thing to God.

3) Material things are not to be valued above people.

4) We must imitate God in valuing people more and things less.

5) There are so many things that get in the way of what’s important.

6) Will we be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to do God’s will in our lives?

7) We can be a living sacrifice for God everyday (Romans 12:1-2).