Thank you, Natalie, for speaking on behalf of all the children here who I’m sure are very grateful for their for their moms. Just many different prayer requests, so we’d like to welcome those who are joining online. The parks are in Greece for work, Fernandez, they’re traveling out of town and others. So let’s begin with a word of prayer.
Father, on this day we express our gratitude for our moms, our unsung heroes who do many things in the background. They are the anchor, they are the glue that keep things together. Without them our families often would just be falling apart. So Lord we give we give you praise and thanksgiving for the gift of mothers in our midst and and what they’ve meant to us.
Father we just pray that you bless them on this special day, help them to know that they are special to to all of us and cherished in your sight as daughters of God. So Father we just thank you for that. We pray for Brother Ed, we pray for his family, especially his mom who’s grieving the loss of father and husband.
Father we this was unexpected but Lord you know all things. This was not unexpected for you, so we just pray for your comfort. We pray Holy Spirit that you would come visit with all the family members as to all the other brothers, the entire Kim household. We pray for your presence to to be strong in their midst.
I pray all of them would draw closer to you. Lord we’re reminded that we are our days are numbered and so Lord we want to live wisely in the days ahead as a living sacrifice to you not knowing when you will call us home. Father we just pray for this service. I pray that you meet us. Pray with for all the family members of the Hill family who are traveling.
Pray for your traveling mercies, your presence to be amongst them and protect them. Thank you for bringing our family back safely. Thank you Lord in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Our family we we got we were in Chicago this weekend for my nieces graduation from college. She is the first one in the family to graduate so it was a seventeen of us gathered there including Jackie’s dad and we took a family picture.
So it was a special Danny. She graduated as an engineer from University Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She’ll be going to Colorado for her first job so our prayers are with her. If you could pray for Danny, pray for her. Got to meet her to surround her with good good new good friends. Please also remember Jim’s relative Mr. She for his dementia.
Let’s pray for Jim for God’s wisdom for him as he as he shares the gospel with him in the days ahead. Okay well let me start with an announcement. This is and we should pray as well. This is the last Sunday here. I know it’s rather sudden. I think you’ll you’ll find that why it’s so sudden from the message that I’ll be sharing in a moment.
But this is our last Sunday here. We’re going to Culver City as of next Sunday 2 30 p.m. All the details will be sent out this week so be on the lookout for that. Okay let’s just pray real quickly for this place. Father we just thank you for the time which you provided for us here at corridor flow in a time of emergency when we had no place to go when our when our place was flooded a year and a half ago.
Lord you’re you’re so gracious and your timing is perfect. We thank you for Norey and Christine and their family for their generosity providing this place which was perfect for our needs during this time. We pray that you bless their family as they move back here and and figure out finances and and how to utilize this space for the weekends especially.
We pray that their vision to be a light for the gospel in in this city of Lumida and beyond would be fulfilled in this next season. Father we pray for blessings to be poured out poured out to them. Pray for wisdom to be poured out to them so they can utilize this space in a spiritual way and also that you provide for all of their financial needs.
Thank you Lord for Pastor Max and First Baptist Church of Culver City. We ask that you go before us. We know it’s rather sudden but Lord we are obedient to your voice and when you speak we want to obey immediately. So thank you that you’ve provided a place as soon as this coming Sunday possibly even Wednesday prayer meeting.
So father we just thank you that you’ve opened this door for us that this this pastor and this church family has been so generous with us giving us full access at a fraction of the cost. Thank you for all the ways in which you’re looking out for us and speaking so loud and clear. Thank you Lord we pray that you be with us in this service.
I pray that you would speak be with Jim as he shares the gospel with Mr. Xi. We pray for clarity of mind. We pray for a softening of heart and an ability to perceive intellectually and most importantly spiritually the words that are shared. I pray that you give Jim the right words and that Mr. Xi in his time of difficulty would be humbled and receive the gift of everlasting life found in Jesus Christ.
Thank you Lord for this opportunity to pray for extended family friends and relatives. Thank you Lord in Jesus name we pray amen. Okay I’m gonna ask some questions before we begin if you don’t mind. The first question is what story in the Bible captures the essence of the gospel most literally? Any answers? There’s a lot of Bible students here and I’m sure there’s not one right answer but I’m key in on the word literally.
Sophia? John? Which one? The gospel of John. Okay like John 3 16 or the entire gospel. Yes that’s a great answer. Anything else? If you could highlight just one story passage that most literally captures the gospel which is the father, the son, the sacrifice, the resurrection. Sophia? Okay that’s the one. Yes Sophia. Sophia is the greatest in the kingdom of God today.
Okay praise God. Okay so now that you know that that’s where we’re going today now I want to address anybody who is not a parent. This is for you. For those who have parents let me rephrase it. If your dad came to you one day and said God spoke to me last night and what I’m about to do to you may hurt you and you may die actually you will die but I need you to trust me.
How would you respond? And so I want someone 10 years 10 years old and younger to respond somebody 10 through 20 to respond and then somebody 30 years old and over to respond. So 10 years and younger it could be more yes yes Timothy yes. How would you respond if if your dad said that to you? You don’t have to overthink just your gut response.
What? Okay okay that’s that I think that’s expected for someone under 10. Any other under 10 your your gut reaction to your dad saying that? Yes John. Why did God tell you to kill your son? Why did God tell you? Yes you would question it. It’d be pretty confusing right Sophia? Scared. Scared yes I think that’s that’s these are all normal responses and so and then I want to ask those who are 10 through 20 you’ve been a little bit further along hopefully in your faith.
How would you respond and it could be the same. If you have any different responses could you share? Yes Natalie. You okay you do a lot some elaboration. That’s a a lot of concern yes yes yes Matthew. Yes yeah I think I think that’s very true. You might have thought your dad lost his mind and you would question what voice is he hearing in his head.
Yes yes. Anybody 30 and above how would you respond if your dad said that to you? Or it could be 20 to 30 let’s say let’s do 20 to 30 so now it’s very narrow so I’m gonna ask I’m gonna ask Timothy I’m gonna ask Timothy if if I said that to you what would you say? Yeah you would ask for yeah you’d have you have a lot of questions yeah.
Okay okay so I’m gonna ask you a question. Okay okay so you wouldn’t be scared because you think I would have a reason. Okay okay yeah it better be a good reason right right right anybody else 20 to 30 I guess that only leaves to Sean you don’t have to unless you have something. Okay okay so I’m gonna ask you a question.
Right anybody else 20 to 30 I guess that only leaves to Sean you don’t have to unless you have something to Sean. Right right yeah it could go either way depending on the trust level with your dad and and and the trust that you does your dad have a track record of with God yes I think that’s an important yeah yeah if you don’t trust your dad or you don’t trust that your dad has a track record of hearing from the Lord consistently over time probably you would dismiss it okay these are all great great points what about 30 and above so I think the rest of us can answer if your dad said that.
Anybody anything that wasn’t said yes ask for proof yep yes yes yes yes show me proof yes these are all the types of things that would would cross my mind and it makes sense it kind of changes but at the core we all have the similar concerns but it slightly changes from from when you’re a child under 10 10 to 20 and 30 and above the reason why well actually before I say that I don’t want to go too much into the detail of this text brother Abraham is going to preach on this text very soon and so I don’t want to steal his thunder so we’re going to just take it at more of a high level but the reason why I think the the the age is important we’ll get to in a second but let’s let’s turn to the text now Genesis 22 verse 1 now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him Abraham and he said here I am then he said take now 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 so Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son and he split the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him and so first is what is the main lesson here I’ve heard some some outlandish interpretations of this text one of them that I that that I’ve heard is this text is about idolatry so if you love your child this is idolatry and God wants you to serve the church and this is getting in the way of your service to the church this is an idol why don’t you sacrifice your children so that you can be a better minister I’ve actually heard this from the pulpit and it is just completely completely wrong and I can say that confidently because it says in places like Micah 6 verse 6 through 8 with what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before the hot before the high God shall I come before him with burnt offerings with calves a year old with the Lord be pleased with thousands of ramps ten thousand rivers of oil shall I give my firstborn for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul he has shown you a man what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God so this is not a story about idolatry what is it how am I confident that it’s not about idolatry because this is one of the texts that God gives an answer in another part of scripture and so for the answer we turn to Hebrews chapter 11 verse 17 it says by faith Abraham when he was tested offered up Isaac and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son of whom it was said and Isaac your seed shall be called concluding that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from which he also received him in a figurative sense so we understand from Genesis 12 and Hebrews 11 that this was a test of faith and what was the Abraham had the confidence that if as long as God is speaking and he’s telling me to do this God is going to fulfill his promise which is to through my seed to form a nation and for that nation to be a blessing to all the nations so how could that promise come to pass if if I kill my son and he remains in the grave so this is a confidence that after I kill him God is going to raise him up so this is clearly not about idolatry this is about faith in God bringing someone from the dead back to life a resurrection faith going back to our main text Genesis chapter 12 it says in verse after God tells him what to do there’s no back and forth unfortunately there’s no this doesn’t seem like there’s even much struggle because what God is asking him to do is so unbelievable so impossible and yet it says in verse three he rose up early in the morning and he went on his way to do the very thing that God asked him to do I find this remarkable and this is the pattern that Abraham sets for himself in Genesis 12 verse 4 God tells him the promise no Genesis chapter 12 God tells him the first time that God calls Abraham when he’s still Abraham he says through you you will be a blessing you’ll there will be a nation through your seed and through that nation you will be a blessing to all the nations and Abraham heard this as a 75 year old man and it says in verse 4 he departed as the Lord has spoken to him and lot went with him no struggling no questioning just almost looks like blind faith but that’s the kind of faith he has it is so strong it is complete it is absolute and just one word from the Lord as long as he knows for sure it is the Lord he’s establishing this pattern as soon as the Lord speaks I’m going why are we going to Culver City next week I didn’t when I when the Lord gave me this passage last week I did not know it actually had to do with our move but it does why are we moving next week I actually wanted to move this week because whenever the Lord speaks I believe he wants us to obey him immediately I was looking at I tallied the number of places I saw and called and actually visited most of them I didn’t visit because it was just a no either no response or we’re not reading this place or the place is full it was churches office spaces hotels some were just so expensive a lot of them it was just a dead end and it was about a hundred over a hundred places that I looked in Torrance Gardena in the South Bay Lomita everywhere and out of a hundred it was zero for a hundred but there was one opportunity through brother Abraham for Culver City and I wasn’t looking in Culver City but it turns out God is one for one when he told us his Culver City it was one for one and when God speaks he wants us to go immediately and I remember asking the Lord a couple months ago when I was getting a little tired Eastia was approaching I said Lord it would be nice if you move us before Pentecost can you get us to a new place I don’t I am I going to be looking for a hundred new places for the next six months because I start in January are we going to be approaching the end of the year still not knowing where you’re leading us and God heard that prayer and so Pentecost is April I mean May 28th we’ll be moving next week May 21st so God he heard that prayer and so we’ll be moving one week before Pentecost so I praise the Lord for hearing our prayers and confirming for myself through through the elder elder couples and I think when you we go when we go there and we fellowship with the with that with it with the other church that’s opening their doors when you get to meet the pasture you will we will all feel confirmed this is this is the right place for us so I’m looking forward to it it.
And Abraham he doesn’t ask for clarification I find yeah like many of you said I find this odd because I would have a lot of questions but but Abraham from Genesis 12 now Genesis 22 Abraham he’s developed this type of intimacy and closeness and confidence that when God speaks I have to obey him immediately either right away like he left right away it seems in Genesis 12 into an unknown no plan just an unknown he’s just leaving everything behind and then Genesis 22 the very next morning I wonder if Abraham avoided Sarah that morning I wonder if Sarah heard what Abraham heard how would Sarah respond I don’t as a mom I don’t know if moms would would readily go go with this plan I think Abraham woke up early to avoid Sarah that’s just it’s not in the scripture that’s just my interpretation if this was our family I would not talk to Jackie about it I would just secretly say okay Timothy let’s go and here he doesn’t even tell Isaac it says in verse four then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place far off and Abraham said to his young men stay here with the donkey and the lad and I will go yonder and worship and we will come back to you so Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son and he Isaac took the fire no no he Abraham took the fire in his hand and a knife and the two of them went together but Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said my father and he said here I am my son then he said look the fire in the wood but where is the lamb for a burnt offering and Abraham said my son God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering so the two of them went together then they came to a place of which God had told him and Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood I think the key question here is how old is Isaac and that’s why I asked you in the beginning the question and I wanted to hear from those 10 years and old and younger because then you can put yourself in in this story and I want to hear from those who are 10 and 20 years old and if you put yourself in the story how would you respond and those who are 20 to 30 how would you respond and then 30 and above it’s it’s similar but slightly different and it’s understandable by age our relationship with the Lord changes and we will respond to this unbelievable request slightly different differently hopefully with more increasing faith as the years go on it speaks of the young men how old do you think they are in this story any guesses the young men in this story Sophia 18 okay that’s a good guess yeah anybody think they might be older these young men they’re the young men slash servants they work they work for or with Abraham almost like employees yes Natalie 15 okay okay so you think they’re teenagers so teenagers anyone think they’re older yes 20 to 30 okay anybody think they’re 30 and above anybody that’s okay okay when we say the greatest in the kingdom and and Jesus brings a child that’s a very specific word it’s a infant to seven years old this word for young man or servant is anywhere from adolescent to 20s to even 30s it’s a range like if you’re 100 100 plus Abraham everybody’s young to you everybody’s a young lad to you and did you know that when it speaks of Isaac it’s the same word young man so he could he’s he’s an adolescent all the way to possibly in his 30s because I think when we read this story and some translations might might have the word boy in there we think of like like under 10 like when I hear boy I think under 10 and that has a certain picture that goes along with it and and imagine the horrific picture of of Abraham as a 110 year old with Isaac as a 10 year old who doesn’t quite have the faith and and yet Abraham knows I have to do this and then maybe as 110 years old he can still he’s still strong enough to overpower his son and he’s forcing him in to to to lay on top of the woods and then he binds him think of how how horrific that is think of it if he’s if he’s a teenager to 20 in his 20s I don’t think Abraham physically can even do it right if he’s 30 for sure so I think the age actually it does have something to do with it here and let me just let me just give you a few markers in because I think God is starting to give me some insight about decades so 20 years old is an important age Timothy is going to turn 20 soon so 20 years old is an important age in the eyes of God it is the age when you can serve in the military it is the age when when a census was taken the bible and taxation was was was expected it was for those 20 years old and above so you could serve in the military census you were counted and and then you were taxed also as we know in the exodus account God holds people 20 years old and and older responsible for their sin before when you’re under 20 somehow you’re under the covering it seems of your parents and so God looks at you as a child in your in your in your parents household and so even if they were rebellious somehow God says you can enter the promised land but if you’re 20 years old says no you’re going to perish you’re responsible for your sin so there’s some important cut off as a 20 year old as a 30 year old there’s some important things just some important characters I think that we see in scripture Joseph guess how old he was when he became governor of Egypt he was 30 what about David when he became king how old do you think he was 30 what about when he was called to be a prophet how old do you think he was 30 what about Jesus when he began his public ministry how old did you think he was 30 so there’s something important about 20 that God considers you as a man or as a woman as an adult maybe we can say that’s the age of accountability that you are now standing before God on your own outside of the covering of your family Jesus even mentions it like if you are if you marry if you became if you are a non-christian married to a non-christian but one of the spouses became saved it says your non-believing spouse is clean or somehow is somehow is because you can’t have a it’s a it’s a weird verse that Jesus said it’s like you’re the spouse is somewhat treated differently from God’s point of view and he says it’s for the sake of the kids so that the kids are clean and so they’re so growing up in a believing home even one parent being a believer somehow that child growing up is clean in God’s sight they’re covered there there is grace for that child but when you enter 20 that decade somehow God looks at you now as an adult I don’t know how Timothy feels about that he’s entering into that age he was going to stand before God more than he is as a pre-20 year old and then 30 I think is another important marker when when there’s a public ministry when there’s something official I wonder how Tim how old Timothy was in the New Testament when he became a young pastor I presume he was probably 30 so people who go to seminary right out of undergrad I would probably say let’s pump the brakes a little bit let’s wait until you get tested a little bit let’s wait until you get married and you start raising a family let’s see how that goes and then maybe we can see you as a deacon at a church let’s see you as an elder of a church and then maybe at some later point after you’re 30 and beyond maybe we can think about ordaining you so that’s just kind of an aside but so I think it would be a horrific scene for Abraham as a 110 year old grandfather wrestling someone who is the age of his grandson 10 years old or less whose faith might not quite be there but Abraham has no choice so he’s going to force a 10 year old to to lay on top of wood a pile of wood in fact and bind you to that pile to be burned to me that’s a horrific scene if you’re 10 to 20 I think it’s a little different because you would have to have the cooperation you would have to have the cooperation of of of Isaac at that age because I don’t think Abraham would be strong enough to overpower him but as a 10 to 20 year old when when when I see in scripture God doesn’t quite look at you as completely out of the covering of your parents would God call Isaac to that type of an assignment to blindly trust your dad when you’re not quite established in your own faith to me I don’t quite see Isaac as a teenager or an adolescent I actually see him beyond his 20s I think he’s in his 30s I think Abraham I think Isaac in his 30s and to me this is when it says when Jesus says I have come to fulfill the law and the prophets the Torah is the law the first five books of the Old Testament including Genesis when he says and then he goes on to say not even one dot will be left out I will fulfill it and when I hear that to me I think of it as okay he’s he’s literal about this there are things in there in the Old Testament we don’t quite understand but at the end it’s going to like shock us how much every word mattered every stroke mattered it wasn’t being overly metaphorical a lot of it was meant to be taken literally and so that’s why I think Isaac is in his 30s because Jesus laid down his life voluntarily in his 30s I think Isaac too was a literal representation foreshadowing of Jesus and as a 30-something year old he voluntarily laid down his life so here I think it’s a test of course of Abraham’s faith but as much as Abraham is being tested here I think Isaac is also being tested and Isaac like Jesus who is to come Jesus says in John chapter 10 I voluntarily laid down my life on my own accord was Isaac deceived into this was he as a if he was a 10 year old not quite believing was he forced and pressured into it as somebody who’s 10 and 20 faith is not quite there was he 20 faith is not quite there was he guilted into it was he wrestled into it intimidated into it pressured into it or did Isaac have his full independent free will and did he voluntarily literally like Jesus laid down his life as a direct fulfillment of the law and the prophets I think he is literally in his 33rd year of life he this is enough wood to sacrifice yourself upon that we’re not talking about a log we’re talking about a stack of lumber and and I don’t think a 10 year old is strong enough no offense to the 10 year olds and younger here I don’t think you’re strong enough to carry a stack of lumber up a hill because it is a sizable amount of wood to burn yourself upon it’s a sizable amount but someone in his 20s could do it maybe teenagers could do it 30s could do it but I think it it fits the gospel more literally if Isaac voluntarily as a 33 year old a young man voluntarily laid down his life not not blind faith that I trust my dad no he himself and I think it’s even harder for him because he’s the one who’s going to get killed and he’s saying I have faith and my dad has faith that if I get killed God is going to raise me from the ashes it says in verse 10 and Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son this faith being tested is not theoretical it’s not theoretical God had to see is Abraham really trusting me that either literally or figuratively I’m going to raise the son because that’s what it says in Hebrews because he was willing to kill him he got him back it is a figurative in this sense for Jesus it was literal he was literally resurrected from the dead but it takes Abraham going up the mountain Isaac carrying the stack of woods upon which he’s going to allow himself to be burned the same way that Jesus went up a mountain with a cross this is quite literal in all of its detailed I think Jesus as a 33 year old man believed my father is going to raise me from the dead Isaac likewise believed and Abraham his father believed that our heavenly father will raise Isaac Abraham’s son from the grave and Abraham had to go as far as watching his son there voluntary lays down his life voluntary allow himself to be bound to a pile of wood with a with a with a knife unsheathed and with a downward motion it had to go that far for God to say now I believe you that you have faith in me you passed the test we think faith is this simple little I believe it in my head no faith is like this God is going to ask you and me to do something and maybe a series of things in our lives which we would think is ridiculous crazy everybody’s going to say we’re we’re we’re a mental case we’re not hearing from the Lord and this is absurd and we’re going to get mocked and ridiculed but this is this is what faith looks like it says in James chapter 2 faith like this comes with accompanying works and it is difficult and it will be difficult it is not theoretical how do we know that we have a faith that God can even raise the child that I myself killed it’s when you have the child bound on a pile of wood and you have the sword stretched out and you’re you’re going in a downward motion that’s when you know you have faith that the Lord is looking for and it says in verse 11 but the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said Abraham Abraham so he said here I am and he said do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son your only son from me then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horn so Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son and Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide as it has as it is said to this day and the mount of the Lord it shall be provided we have all these theologies which make Christian life seem very abstract like substitutionary atonement like we deserve to die because of our sins we deserve to be nailed on a cross for our sins we deserve hell and eternal separation from God because of sin and and and eternal separation from God because of sin and and and but the theology says but Jesus took our place he substituted for us his blood atones for our sin when I see that theology put up next to this passage I see a literal substitution Jesus literally took the place of Isaac Abraham’s son it wasn’t theology it was literal they had confidence they had faith God is going to provide a lamb and there’s this male lamb ram in a thicket God provided and we know that’s a foreshadowing of the ultimate substitute for our sins Jesus Christ who was the lamb of God Jesus Christ who was the lamb of God but it’s not theology it’s literal in this case Jesus through the male lamb the ram took the place of Isaac and now we have to ask who is the angel of the Lord any guesses Jesus yes the new king James gives me a hint because when it says angel of the Lord it’s a capital a angel means messenger so this angel is a big deal so it is an important messenger slash angel and then it says in verse 15 then the angel of the Lord called Abraham a second time out of heaven and said by myself I have sworn says the Lord because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son your only son blessing I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as a sand which is on the seashore and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies in your seat all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice so Abraham returned to his young men and they rose and went together to birshiba and Abraham dwelt at birshiba this is an capital a messenger angel and he swears by his own name and it says in Hebrews 6 verse 13 and 14 for when God made a promise to Abraham because he could swear by no one greater he swore by himself so only God can swear by himself because there is no one higher than him so this messenger is God who swears by himself but no man has seen nor heard God but we’ve seen and heard God’s son Jesus Christ so this messenger is a pre-incarnate Jesus Christ coming to Abraham the last passage I want to share is Hebrews 12 verse 2 looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endure the cross despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God we know that Jesus struggled at Gethsemane for a moment for an hour a two or three for a few hours at most he struggled he said let this cup pass but once he resolved God you told me to do this after a prayer he says I’m going and when he was going to the cross he didn’t do it with he wasn’t annoyed he wasn’t bothered he wasn’t in a bad mood he wasn’t lashing out he did it according to Hebrews 12 he did it with joy so why when God speaks do we obey immediately and why do we obey with joy it’s because Jesus obeyed immediately and with joy we don’t we know that Abraham obeyed immediately did he do with joy I don’t know did he do with struggle angst tears streaming down not knowing how much of a fool he’s going to be my wife is going to divorce me if this thing goes wrong everything can can crumble in this moment did he do with joy I’m not sure but we know Jesus went to the cross with joy so why do we obey immediately and with joy joyfully because Jesus did it first so let’s obey God as a family of faith to go to Culver City immediately next week joyfully because God has a lot of things that he wants to show us there okay let’s pray father we thank you for the literal foreshadowing of the gospel in Genesis 22 we see father your heart in giving up your son it wasn’t theoretical it was literal how much you must have grieved that this was the only way forward there was no other way it had to be through your son but you love the world so much that you allowed your son to die and Lord Jesus we know that you did not go to the cross because you were forced to because you were just gritting your teeth and trying to obey through effort you did it immediately and with joy this seems impossible to do something like this but to make it closer to home you provided Abraham and Isaac they did it we can do it too when you speak Lord as long as we’re confident it was you we want to obey you immediately and joyfully in the meantime while we’re still waiting because there’s many seasons of waiting help us to live faithfully the 25 years that Abraham waited he was faithful you spoke in the beginning maybe you were silent for 25 years you spoke again and then 33 years may have passed you spoke again but all the years in between Abraham Isaac just lived faithfully so Lord we want to be faithful when we’re waiting for you but when you speak help us to obey you immediately and joyfully thank you Lord that you did it first and now we follow you thank you for your body that was shed for us broken for us and your blood that was shed every time we gather on Sunday we remember your death burial and resurrection we want to have a faith like Abraham that even if we have to kill our own son or daughter we have a faith that you can resurrect that child from the dead that is the kind of absolute faith that we want in Jesus thank you we pray that you meet us pray that you go before us to Culver City we go there with full joy that we want to meet you Lord Jesus and we want to meet the body of Christ there we want to be your hands and feet there we want to feed the hungry give water to the thirsty clothe the naked serve the body of Christ in Culver City and beyond whatever you have for us we want to meet you Lord Jesus and serve the body of Christ there thank you Lord pray that you meet us as we close his service in Jesus name amen
