By Faith We Hold Nothing Back Hebrews 11:17-19 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, In Isaac your seed shall be called, 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. Hebrews 11:1719 The story of Abrahams faith culminates in Genesis 22 where he is commanded to offer up his only son of promise, Isaac, as a burnt offering to the Lord. This action would contradict Gods command not to murder and would bring an end to Gods promise of a nation through Isaac. What was Abraham to do with this seemingly impossible and illogical test? This test would expose Abrahams belief in Gods promises, Abrahams deepest affections and Abrahams knowledge of Gods character. Like Abraham, God brings us through moments and seasons of testing so that we may come to know first-hand our God and our faith. Testing gives us a close-up view of our faith! In Genesis 22 Abraham receives the command to sacrifice his son, Isaac, and immediately takes off on a 50 mile, 3 day, journey to Mt. Moriah which is in Jerusalem at the temple Mount! Imagine the thoughts, fears, confusion, anxiety that Abraham must have experienced along this journey culminating in his knife- yielding hand prepped to plunge into the chest of Isaac! Test #1 The Test of our belief in Gods Promise of whom it was said, In Isaac your seed shall be called, Hebrews 11:18 We are apt to see this as a conflict between Abrahams love for his son and his duty to God. But for the author the problem was Abrahams difficulty in reconciling the different revelations made to him. God and promised him a numerous posterity through Isaac; yet now he called on him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. How then could the promise be fulfilled? Dr. Leon Morris, Hebrews Test #2 The Test of our affections toward God By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Hebrews 11:17 The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Trial comes in the pathway of faith, and trial often touches our affection-what is nearest and dearest to us. God does not delight to deprive us of what we treasure. On the contrary, Paul tells us to have our hope set on God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. So to prevent His saints from forgetting the only Giver of good things-and thus passing into a life of selfishness, leading on to death, He is continually saying to His own, Put back into My hands what I have given you.William R. Newell Test #3 The Test of our knowledge of Gods character concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. Hebrews 11:19 The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Hebrews 11:17 The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, This testing reminds us of 1 Corinthians 10:13, No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. By Faith We Hold Nothing Back Big Idea: God Demands and Open Handed Faith Have you ever been through a season in life where you felt or even thought that God was against you, that God hated you, that God had stopped loving you, that God has ceased being good? The testing and trying of our faith often evokes these types of emotions as we try to grasp how a good God could find any good in the situation that we are enduring. Abraham was taken to the very end of that crossroad of faith and God graciously provided a way of escape. In this life we are called to live by faith believing that God has a better future awaiting us, knowing that this life is temporary and holding to earthly things loosely.