Here I Am Genesis

Here I Am Genesis 22. 1-15 It was 2 days before my wedding and my soon to be father in law wanted to do a ride along with me. We were headed to a report of a stolen bike when the call came out on the radio. 10-15, 10-32, 10-0, domestic, armed suspect, use caution. We immediately left the bike call and began driving to the other call. Then, I remember looking at my computer screen and saying out loud to my father in law, Oh no. The 10-15 had now been upgraded to a hostage situation with a weapon or weapons. The dad was holding his kids hostages in the house with a loaded weapon because he didn t want them to go with their mom. In that moment all my training flashed in and out of my mind. One of the kids could get killed tonight. I could have to kill someone, or worse yet, I could get killed. We arrive at the scene and I told my father in law to stay in the car and if worse came to worse, I showed him how to unlock the patrol shotgun in the car. I grabbed my assault rifle and headed for the sergeant. My position was kneeling at the corner of the neighbor s driveway with my rifle aimed at the two side windows of the house. Once we were all there, radio checks to make sure we were in position and everyone responded 10-4, in position, or Here I am, ready. We where exactly where we needed to be in that moment, in position and waiting for what would happen next. It was uncomfortable, it was emotional, it was scary, but it was our call for that time. No matter what the call required, we were ready. 2 and half hours later, we left, situation secure. I found out my soon to be father in law had been giving my soon to be brother in law a play-by-play of the entire situation on his phone the whole time, and then told my wife after the night of a hostage standoff and an interesting foot chase after a car full of assault suspects, that she was going to be the safest person in the world because I would take care of her. HERE I AM, a response of willingness, a response of being where we need to be. So this morning, I don t want to talk about New Year resolutions for our lives, rather New Year refinements in our lives. Resolutions come and go and by mid February (or sooner), most of them are no longer resolutions, but interruptions. Refining implies growing. They are not seen as interruptions to our life, but intentionality in our life. We refine areas in our life not so we become better people, but so we can become more purposed believers. Turn to Genesis 22 with me. OPENING PRAYER

When my son was a little younger, I loved his simple concept of time. You see, to Dax tomorrow was next day. A month from now was next day. Yesterday was last night. 2 months ago was last night. As you can imagine, hearing Dax tell us about last night or next day was quite interesting. Dad remember last night when we played golf? - My brain immediately replayed last night and had no recollection of golfing yesterday. What Dax really meant was, Hey dad, remember 6 months ago when I went to the golf course with you and we played golf? Or when he would say Dad, next day we are going on our trip. Again, my mind scrambles to remember what trip we are going on and ARE WE REALLY LEAVING TOMORROW??? What he meant to say was, Hey dad, I am looking forward to that trip you mentioned that we are going to take in the summer. His simple mind recalled things as if they just happened. His mind looked forward as if everything was right around the corner. So, we just celebrated Christmas and what an awesome few months leading up to it. Everyday Christmas was next day. Then when the next day arrived, the disappointment that Christmas wasn t today, but the joy of knowing next day it will be here. Dax truly believed that next day, whenever that really was, was going to come. He knew that daddy wouldn t tell him Christmas was coming if Christmas wasn t ever going to come. Then to see the joy on his face when FINALLY the next day became TODAY! He had heard over and over again it was going to happen and FINALLY it did. The promise his dad made had come true! Today we are going to look at a man who understood what it meant to wait for the next day to come, and wait a long time for a promise to come true. I read somewhere someone say, Patience is not defined by how long we wait; it is defined by how we wait.

In Genesis 15. 5-6, we see a promise from God to Abram, later called Abraham. And he brought him outside and said, Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them. Then he said to him, So shall your offspring be. And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. Years have passed since Genesis 15 and then in Genesis 21 we finally see the beginning of God s promise to Abraham come to life, the birth of Isaac. Again, years have passed since the birth of Isaac and that is where our story begins today. This is more than a story about a father and his son. It is a story about faith, worship, and obedience. Genesis 22. 1-3: After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Here I am. He said, Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. MAIN POINT #1- AUTHENTIC FAITH Authentic faith starts with availability. Abraham was promised descendants as numerous as the stars and promised a son through which this covenant would be fulfilled. Then some time later, God comes to test him. Abraham doesn t know it is a test when God calls to him. God calls out Abraham! And his response is HERE I AM. Abraham was available to hear the call of God because he was right where he needed to be. By saying HERE I AM, Abraham was letting God know, He had all of him. He says HERE I AM, ready for whatever was next. He didn t say, I ll be right with you or Give me a second, or Not now, or What now. No his response was HERE I AM, a response that he was present and ready. Then after Abraham responses to God, He gives Abraham a unique, challenging, gut-wrenching task: Take your son, your only son, whom you love, and go offer him as a burnt offering.

Could you imagine a request like that? A task that demanding. A sacrifice that costly? Availability is not all authentic faith requires. Genesis 22. 1-3: So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose went to the place of which God had told him. Authentic faith leads to Godly accomplishment/activity. Abraham immediately acts on the task. He doesn t question it, consider it, or run from it. He immediately acts on it. Authentic faith compels us to act not react. We act not out of our understanding of the situation; we act because of our unfailing faith that He is LORD. James 2 talks about faith and works. We see Abraham s faith and actions in this situation in James 2. 20-24: Do you want to be shown, you foolish person that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and the scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. See our faith leads us to a willingness to respond HERE I AM; a response, no matter the call, to trust in the LORD and in His perfect plan, and then to act on that trust. Authentic faith is so much more than saying you believe in God. Authenticity comes with accomplishment. Sometimes HERE I AM for some of us is to simply BE. Our activity for that season might just being still in His presence. Other times HERE I AM could be remaining where you are patiently waiting for what is next, but your activity is your active faith. For others, activity will be moving and doing until the task is complete. Don t mistaken activity with business; activity is not just doing anything, but purposely doing something. Business can steal us of purpose. Our purpose is to accomplish His plan. We don t just proclaim faith in God, we participate with God as our proclamation that we believe in God.

Genesis 22. 4: On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. I don t want us to miss those 4 simple words, On the third day. STORY- BLACKOUT LIGHTS AND TURN ON STARS/DISCO BALL Imagine the emotional rollercoaster Abraham was riding at the campfire after a full day of traveling. It s getting late and Abraham and Isaac and the two young servants are sitting around the campfire recapping the day and talking about tomorrow s journey. They are enjoying the fire s warmth and resting their aching bodies from a full day of traveling. Dinner has been served and the bellies are full. The s mores kits are being pulled out of the backpacks, the ipod is on and the earbuds in. But not Abraham. He looks up to the sky and sees the night filled with stars. As he reclines at the fire, he stares and remembers the promise from some years back that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. Then he glances at his son sitting across from him at the fire. But in order to look at him, he is looking through the fire to see him, and thinks of the journey he is on: to offer his son as a burnt offering. But he remains silent. He doesn t tell his son. He prays. He worships. He continues on the journey the next morning and the next until finally he looks up and sees the mountain from afar and knows, this is it. Genesis 22. 5-8: Then Abraham said to his young men, Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, My father! And he said, Here I am, my son. He said, Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son. So they went both of them together.

MAIN POINT #2- ABANDONED WORSHIP: A heart surrendered can become a heart abandoned to worship. The first time we see the word worship in the bible is in the midst of personal sacrifice. Abraham knows what he is going to the top of that mountain to do. He knows he is about to offer up his son as worship to the LORD. Abraham even tells his son, when Isaac finally speaks up and asks where the lamb for the sacrifice is, that the LORD will provide the sacrifice. Abraham was completely surrendered to the Lord, allowing his life to be abandoned in worship. Abandoned worship is so much more than a song, music, a time, a place, or a style. It is not something we do periodically or weekly. It is never meant to be something we start and stop and start again. Everything we do is worship. Romans 12. 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Abraham is going to offer God the very offering that God gave him. The rest of the promise from God was to be fulfilled through Isaac, the son he loved. Yet, Abraham had worship in his heart and on his mind, not worry. His authentic faith allowed for his life to be abandoned in worship to God. A heart abandoned in worship through authentic faith leads to audacious obedience. HERE I AM Living our lives as sacrifices, our spiritual act of worship, is our WILLINGNESS to abandon everything for the Almighty. We find ourselves overjoyed, not overwhelmed to reply HERE I AM because we find ourselves looking up instead of looking forward. We TRUST the LORD for what is ahead, so we worship Him in the now; we say HERE I AM, abandoning our comfort for His control.

Genesis 22. 9-14: When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham! And he said, Here I am. He said, Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. MAIN POINT #3- ADACIOUS OBEDIENCE Our obedience to God is a mirror to our reverence for God. Abraham was offering his son, whom he loved! It was the sacrifice of a promise. But Abraham stayed faithful, even to the near fatal end. He was boldly, fearlessly obedient to the task that the Lord had given him. Hebrews 11. 17-19: By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, Through Isaac shall your offspring be named. He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. Abraham was audaciously obedient not because he knew the results, but because he trusted the Redeemer. Even if he had to kill Isaac, he BELIEVED that the promise would still be fulfilled through his son, raised from the dead. That is boldness. That is fearless. That is faithful. That is obedience. Genesis 22. 9-14: And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called 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. Our obedience is to the Provider, not the promise. We are faithful with the promise because HE is faithful in providing. Abraham had his promise collide with the Provider on a mountain top. At any point in this story, Abraham could have stopped walking, looked up to heaven, and said, No, God. I won t do this because I can t do this. He could have asked God, Why? Why me? Why promise me a promise through my son and then tell me to kill him? He could have said, God, this doesn t make any sense! I don t get it! He could have pulled Isaac aside from his Xbox system and said, Son, listen. We are going on a trip to a mountain in which I am going to make you carry the very wood that I will lay you on and then I will have fire in one hand and your mom s kitchen knife in the other and then I will stab you and then burn, so pack your bags for a one way trip. See you outside in 30 minutes. But he didn t. He focused on the Provider, the Promise Keeper throughout this entire story and that is why he see him in James and Hebrews as a person of great faith and obedience. He understood a life surrendered is a heart abandoned to Him. He knew that his trust in God would get him through the task at hand. He knew that God was in control. HERE I AM When it comes to obedience, it can be hard to answer HERE I AM if we are not truly committed to following through. We might say HERE I AM at the beginning and be excited but over time and through trials, we become comfortable or calloused and find ourselves asking Where is God instead of asking ourselves, Where am I? Can I respond with HERE I AM?

So to wrap up this morning As we enter 2014, I want us to look forward to the next days and not concern ourselves with the last nights. We do not know how many next days we will be given, but we CAN make the ones we get great. Like the patience quote, It isn t about HOW MANY next days, its about HOW do I live each next day? Just like a New Year resolution, if we say in here we want to refine areas in our life and walk out those doors and do nothing about it, then this morning was filled with good intentions, but without action, they will stay that, Intentions and not investments. HERE I AM. Our response to the Lord as we move into 2014. What is it that we need to lay down so God can be lifted up? What is it that holds us back from confidently, joyfully responding with HERE I AM? What is it in our faith and in our worship and in our obedience that we would ask God to refine in us? Now refining is implying changes, but I believe the Living God joined us here today and maybe He pulled on some strings in our hearts. If so, during this closing song, we d like to invite you down to the front of the stage to pray with some of our staff, elders, and leaders. Not resolutions that become interruptions, but refinements that are intentional. CLOSING PRAYER