The Father’s Sacrifice Part 2

Jonathan Evans: God will often call you to crushing contradictions where you are praying for a position and you got it, but then he tells you to go a different direction. And you're like, why would I do that? You gave me this promise, I prayed for it, you provided it in a miraculous way, and now you're calling me away from it? Yes, it's a crushing contradiction, isn't it? Because I want to see the priority of your affection. So often times he will have you move and give you a word that does not make sense because he's trying to see where you really are as a believer.
Guest (Male): You're listening to The Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans. In a moment, Jonathan will continue today's message. But first, to thank you for your support of this ministry, Jonathan has two gifts for you. The first is the audio series that you're currently hearing called All Eyes on Jesus, helping you refocus on the one who changes everything. The second part of this gift is a book by Dr. Tony Evans called The Power of Jesus' Names. Discover how the names of Jesus reveal his character, his purpose, and his power in your life today. How can knowing him more deeply transform your faith? I'll tell you more about these later in today's program, or you can call right now at 1-800-800-3222 or visit tonyevans.org to learn more. Now, let's get started with Jonathan's message.
Jonathan Evans: And what would it look like if dads were like, "God has spoken. Saddle up the donkey, you two come with me. Isaac, let's go. Split the wood, let's go make a sacrifice." What would it look like if women were to saddle up the donkey, split the wood, grab two girls and their daughters, and show them what an experience of God is about to look like? What would it look like if the believers in the church weren't just sitting in a church but were ready to move on the call of God? What would it look like if the believers in the church really believed that God would provide? We didn't just raise our hands, we raised our life up to the call of God because of that fundamental belief. Now let me show you what happened next. Abraham got up and he moved. Saddle the donkey, split the wood, boys, y'all come with me. Isaac, let's go. Look at what Abraham says. Look at what the word says. Verse 4 says on the third day he raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Abraham said to his young men, the two he brought with him, "Stay here with the donkey. I and the lad will go over there, and we will worship and return to you." Abraham is a beast. Abraham said, "Hey, y'all stay here. We're going to go worship and we'll be right back." What do you know that we don't know, Abraham? What do you know? Abraham had a belief that God would provide. And I know what you're thinking. You're thinking he believed that God would provide a ram in the bush. That's not what he was thinking at all. Abraham's belief in what God would do was at a whole other level that you would not believe what he was thinking. I'm going to give you a few clues. Verse 4 starts out by saying on the third day. Verse 2 says go sacrifice your only son, your only son whom you love. And then he says, "Don't worry. We're going to go, but we're going to return." I don't want you to take it from me. Hebrews chapter 11, verse 17 and verse 19. We're going to read what Abraham was thinking when he went up there and said, "We're going to be right back." In Hebrews 11:17 it says, "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who received the promise was offering up his only begotten son." Verse 19 says, watch this, "He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received back as a type." What? Abraham said, "We'll be right back," because "I'm going to kill my only son whom I love and then I'm going to stand there and watch God raise him from the dead and we're going to come right back down to y'all." Abraham believed in the resurrection, which he also received back as a type. A type means a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ. This whole story is about the sacrifice of a father that's telling you about the sacrifice of the Father. His only begotten son, his only son. And Abraham is thinking, "We're going to be right back. I'm just going to kill my son and watch him be raised." He's already thinking and foreshadowing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This means that you have to have a spiritual belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You also have to have a practical belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A spiritual belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ says, "I believe that he died and was raised on the third day so that I can place faith in him, and those who place faith in him will live even if they die." You are now a participant in the resurrection, which is why when you get baptized, you die with Christ, you go under the water, and then you are raised with him to the newness of life. It's all about the resurrection. Which means you're in church but you don't believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When you die, you're going to be dead. You cannot be saved and forsake the resurrection. Your life comes through the resurrection. So you have to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ spiritually. If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved, the Bible says. But you also have to have a practical belief in the resurrection. That the same power that raised Jesus up from the dead is the same power that can raise up any situation I have to sacrifice. See, the reason why you won't walk away from that person, that thing, that job, that money, and you believe God is telling you to abstain from it, sacrifice it, walk away from it, put it down, but you won't walk away, is because you have a fundamental disbelief in the practical power of the resurrection. You don't believe if you leave that person, God can just raise it back up. If it's a promise, he'll just give it right back to you. If you have that belief, you can walk away like Abraham did. Because if that's the promised person, the promised place, the promised provision, then I don't have to worry about it. I can sacrifice it and God can raise it. We're hesitant because we believe in it for heaven but we don't believe in that power on earth. Where in the world did Abraham get this thinking from? He doesn't have any frame of reference for him to just be like, "I'm going to kill my son and I'm going to stand there and wait for God to raise him." Where did he get this belief from when he doesn't have a frame of reference in his life to know that that's what God can do? Actually, yes he does. Because Sarah had a dead womb. Sarah was 90 years old. It was supposed to be impossible for them to have a child. And God made that dead womb come alive, put a baby in it that gave birth to Isaac. So Abraham remembered that God can make dead things come alive because he did that with Sarah. So that same power can resurrect my son from the dead. In other words, Abraham had experienced a supernatural pregnancy and birth. Because he had experienced supernatural conception and supernatural birth, it wasn't hard for him to believe in the resurrection. It wasn't supposed to happen that way. That's an impossibility for a 90-year-old woman who's barren to get pregnant. That's an impossible conception and an impossible birth. I know somebody named the Virgin Mary. That's an impossible conception and an impossible birth. It's not supposed to be that way. But if he can be born of a virgin and be conceived in that level of power and greatness, certainly I can believe in the resurrection. Abraham believed in both, and you must believe in both in order to be raised. Abraham had a testimony. I wonder if there's anybody that has a testimony that God can make dead things come alive? He can make your hope come alive, your purpose come alive, your marriage come alive, your family come alive, your child come back, your joy come alive. He can make dead things come alive. That's just if you have a testimony that God has done a work. He can do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that you can ask or think, but you have to believe it to walk this walk. Abraham said, "We'll be right back," because we're just going to see a resurrection today. Hallelujah, the belief of Abraham! He wasn't thinking about a ram in the bush, he was thinking that he would have to go through with it. And he takes his son Isaac. The Bible says in verse 9, "Then they came to the place which God had told him and Abraham had built an altar and there they arranged the wood and bound his son and laid him on the altar on top of the wood." Stop reading these stories like these aren't real people. Isaac is like, "Wait a minute, what's... wait a minute." Think about it. Can you imagine when he starts figuring out this is a sacrifice? His father has a dagger. And you look back and see the one that you trusted, your father with a dagger. Abraham doesn't want to do it. And as he's about to go through the act of his submission to God, the angel of the Lord... stop it. The angel of the Lord comes through in the midnight hour, at the last moment, at the last second. Before Abraham goes through and is just going to expect and stand and wait for his boy to be raised, the angel of the Lord says something to Abraham. He said in verse 11, "Abraham, Abraham." And he said, "Here I am." And he said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad and do nothing to him." Watch this, this is a Tony Evansism right here. "And do nothing to him, for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son, your only son from me."
Guest (Male): More of The Faith Walk with Pastor Jonathan Evans in a moment. When life leaves you feeling spiritually dry, pressured by culture, or unsure of your purpose, All Eyes on Jesus will help you refocus on the one who changes everything. Today, with a gift to support the ministry of the Urban Alternative, Jonathan wants to give you a copy of his eight-part audio series All Eyes on Jesus. What could happen if you fixed your eyes on Jesus in every area of your life? Also included with your gift is a book by Dr. Tony Evans, The Power of Jesus' Names. Discover how the names of Jesus reveal his character, his purpose, and his power in your life today. Both the book, The Power of Jesus' Names, and the eight-part audio series, All Eyes on Jesus, are a gift for you to thank you for your support. It is listeners like you who make this program possible. Our 24-hour resource request line is open at 1-800-800-3222. Let one of our team members help you, or get all the details at tonyevans.org. Now, let's get back to Jonathan with the rest of today's message.
Jonathan Evans: He said in verse 11, "Abraham, Abraham." And he said, "Here I am." And he said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad and do nothing to him. And do nothing to him, for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son, your only son from me." What does God know about your fear level of him? Well, it'll all be contingent on what you're withholding from him. Because many of us are proving that the thing that he gave us is more important than the one who gave it to us. And he says a remarkable statement. He says, "For now I know you fear me." Wait a minute now, what do you mean now I know? You didn't know before? Isn't God omniscient? Doesn't he know all things all the time? So what do you mean now I know as if you have a current knowledge that you previously didn't have? See, while God knows everything, I feel so Tony Evansy right now. See, while God knows everything actual and potential, he knows even the what-ifs, he knows everything. I'm going to tell you something he does not know: everything experiential. If you were to ask God, "What does it feel like to sin?" he knows everything about sin, but he himself has not sinned. Through the person of Jesus Christ, second member of the Trinity, through the person of Jesus Christ, he always knew what tired was, but now he knows what it is. He always knew what hungry was, but now he knows what it is. He always knew in his omniscience what pain was and is, but now through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, now he knows something that he already knew. That's why Luke 2:52 says Jesus grew in all wisdom. What do you mean he grew in all wisdom? Wisdom is the experience of the knowledge. Now he's experiencing the knowledge that he already has because Jesus is omniscient even in his earthly life. How do I know? Well, the Pharisees were always thinking to themselves and Jesus would respond to it. So even as a man he was omniscient, but he was still growing in wisdom because now he was getting the experience of his omniscience that he already had in heavenly places. Therefore, when God experiences you, now he knows what? As he experiences us holding on, not letting go, or letting go, not holding on, or abstaining or not abstaining, now I know she or he what? We just want to leave it at God knows my heart. No, you got to throw away that get-out-of-jail-free card. God wants to see your feet. He says this theological conundrum of the experience of Abraham and he says, "Now I know you fear me." And then he looks up, he lifts his eyes, and behind him the word says there was a ram in the bush. Thank you, Lord. Let me read the language here because the language says, "Then Abraham, verse 13, then Abraham raised his eyes and looked and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. In the place of his son." A burnt offering, Leviticus 1:1-3, is for the purposes of devotion and faith, but it's also for the purposes of atonement. Atonement is the restoration or reconciliation because of sin to God. Restoring you to God or reconciling you to God, that's what atonement means. He was told to sacrifice his son at the beginning as a burnt offering. That's atonement for sins. Let me just say it this way. You ought to be sacrificed for your sins. For the wages of sin is death, that's supposed to be on you. Then there was a ram in the bush that he put in place of his son for the same atonement. That moment when Abraham looked up and saw the ram in the bush, he saw way more than a ram in the bush. He saw the sacrifice of a father. Wait a minute, Abraham was the father, he didn't have to make the sacrifice. No, he saw a different sacrifice from a different Father. John chapter 8, verse 56, Jesus is talking to the Pharisees and he makes this statement. He says, "Your father Abraham was glad to see my day, and when he saw it, he rejoiced." Wait a minute now, the Pharisees said, "But Jesus, you ain't even close to 50. What do you know about Abraham?" Oh, he said, "Abraham saw me. And when he saw me, he was glad. When he saw me, he rejoiced. When he saw me, he had a worship service, trust me." You see when Abraham looked over and saw that ram, he didn't just see a goat. He didn't just see a lamb, he didn't just see a ram. Abraham looked up and saw substitutionary atonement. Abraham looked up and he saw a redeemer. Abraham looked up and saw a deliverer. Abraham looked up and saw a savior. Abraham looked up and saw a rescuer. When he looked up, he saw the foreshadowing of the King Jesus who would be the substitutionary atonement, the true and final burnt offering so that you and I wouldn't have to put ourselves on an altar. Abraham looked up and saw a Father who would sacrifice his only son, his only begotten son. Who would make such a sacrifice? This is a sacrifice not just of a father, this is a sacrifice of the Father. And what should our lives look like knowing that we are no longer bound? Knowing that we are no longer on the altar? Because Jesus came by the will of the Father and allowed himself to be bound and placed on a cursed tree so that you and I can walk away with your life. This is a Father's sacrifice. This is the reason why we praise. This is the reason why we worship because it should be you. So if you are here and you've never given your life to Jesus Christ, that means by definition you remain on the altar. If you have not allowed him to come out of the bush and put himself on the altar for you, the Bible says he has died for the world, especially believers, which means believers have a unique experience with Jesus Christ, his life, his death, and resurrection. He did it for everybody, but only some will get the benefit.
Guest (Male): That was Pastor Jonathan Evans. Before you go today, I want to remind you that we have a couple of gifts for you, an eight-part audio series All Eyes on Jesus and a book, The Power of Jesus' Names. How could knowing him more deeply transform your faith? Through Dr. Evans' book, The Power of Jesus' Names, you'll discover how the name of Jesus reveals his character, his purpose, and his power in your life today. We are also including Jonathan Evans' All Eyes on Jesus audio series, helping you refocus on the one who changes everything. Discover how to deepen your faith, stand firm in difficult times, and live with confidence in God's calling. What could happen if you fixed your eyes on Jesus in every area of your life? Both resources are a gift to you to thank you for your donation to help support the ministry of the Urban Alternative. It's our way of showing appreciation for the continued support of listeners like you who make this program possible. Call 1-800-800-3222 anytime or get all the details online at tonyevans.org. Again, that's tonyevans.org or you can call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. Thank you for listening to The Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans. The Faith Walk is produced as a part of the Urban Alternative, a ministry of Dr. Tony Evans.