The Lord Jesus Already Paid the Price for my Blessings

From: July 4-10, 2006 Study: # 451

TOPIC: “The Lord Jesus Already Paid the Price for my Blessings” Genesis 22: 1-18 Some who walk in the Lord’s path try to pay for their blessings with their own human efforts. For example: We can see it clearly when a person thinks that because he or she has problems, they will not receive any blessing when they arrive to church for the service. But beloved, it is time for us to understand once and for all that nothing comes from the men of this world, but from up above and it is all for us free of charge by the grace of God. Ephesians 2:8, 9. God is who leads us to perfect his call in us. But the blessings are ours for free. So it is not us who bring God to perfection in his plan and in His will. We can read in Hebrew 11:17 that by faith when Abraham was tested, he offered his son Isaac for sacrifice. The man who received the promise of a great descent now by faith was returning the son of the promise and was bringing him before God in sacrifice. Abraham was being tested. God had planned many blessings for Abraham and God made them all a reality and later on God asked him to end the promise. This kind of trial can seem strange to us, but it is not. God was testing the faith of the man who was to become the father of faith of all of us who have believed as he did. God will not test those who do not have faith, because Gods purpose is not to destroy a person. Trials do not come to drive us crazy. God was transforming Abraham’s life, perfecting his faith and when our lives are being transformed we experience crisis. That is why we can’t even imagine how much suffering Abraham must have gone through as he walked for three days with his son to the mount where he was to sacrifice him. But this man believed in God and was active in his faith. God had promised Abraham a great descent and was not going to faint while obtaining it from God. God was going to sustain the promise even after Abraham’s death. We can see how God works with his people. It is not what we think, but because of the promise that God has made to us. God made a covenant with Abraham and He was going to keep it. Genesis 17:4 Regardless of what happens, this nation continues to hold up because it is God’s promise to Abraham. This is the reason why Abraham had to continue his journey, walk ahead to sacrifice his son, to sacrifice his blessing. Abraham’s thoughts must have been many, this is why his heart was very silent, and God asked him for what he loved most. But, in whose hands are we secure? In our own hands? Of course not! God makes everything perfect. Many times we talk, give our own opinions and suggest, because we ignore who God is and we focus more in our trials. It seems as our trials try to suffocate us, but, is it that God wants to kill his children? Of course not! The Bible says that “the righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord.” Psalms 92:12, 13. So then Abraham was expecting from the God who had promised him. As we grow in wisdom we see trials as something that passes. Trials make many just talk and talk. But what is important here in God is that we recognize what faith is. Faith is the assurance of what we hope for and that we do not see, to expect something for us. Hebrews 11:1 Those who have faith, walks with no fear in the days of their trials. When God asked Abraham what he was asking for was the promise in return; He did not ask for his wife Sara, his fortune or his life. God asks you to return to him what he has given you by grace. God asked for his promise. Abraham took his son, his donkey and equipped himself with food. He took with him two of his servants and silently began his journey. The more Abraham walked, the more he grew in faith. God would let him know which mount he had to go to. His servants were not able to comfort him, there was no prophetic word for Abraham, they were not experts in the Law of God to give him a portion of the Word, they were just servants and surely Abraham spoke nothing to them about the matter. Abraham only said that they were going to return. In those three days Abraham did not stagger in his faith at any time.

Abraham was a prophet, he spoke directly with God and he knew he was being tested by God. But without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrew 11:6 The devil is always seeking to steal our faith because it pleases God that we have it. Jesus was amazed when He found someone with faith. Mathew 8:10 The more faith we have the more we will please God. If you become a man or a woman of faith you will please God, this is why Abraham said: “God will provide a lamb for the sacrifice.” Genesis 22:8. Abraham knew that Isaac had a long way to go in his life. God wants His church to understand how to move in faith believing in His greatness every day of our lives. Man must decide if he wants God or not. Have you decided to put your trust in Him? It seemed that Abraham was not going to take Isaac to be sacrificed, but that he was walking in faith to worship Jehovah and make Isaac understand who the God of provision whom he served was. For this reason the Scriptures speak about the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. The three of them knew well what worshipping a powerful God is all about, believed with no doubts. Our God is a God of the living and not of the dead. Mathew 22:32. Abraham’s confession beyond this trial was faith, faith and more faith. Greater than our trials should be our faith in God as our way of living. We must understand this. We should know and live holding on to the promises, this way our faith will keep growing. The only way we can reach these promises is with an active faith. God wants us to know Him, to believe Him. The promises that Abraham reached are fulfilled, even after his death. Abraham was startled when he heard the voice, because it was God’s angel speaking to him. Abraham’s name was pleasant in Heaven. It wasn’t any voice, but a voice from Heaven. Isn’t this wonderful? Who is not afraid of giving the maximum? In Heaven the angels knew Abraham. Does Heaven know you because of your faith? This is very important. Jehovah is the one who provides the sacrifice, therefore, where did the lamb for the sacrifice come from? We don’t know, but the marvelous thing about this happened just as Abraham believed. Jehovah provided because of the faith of this man. What occurs to the righteous is supernatural. Let us grab what is ours. You and I have the best lamb. Beloved, God multiplies what is for the righteous; He doesn’t call us to destroy us but to bless us. But remember, it has to be with faith. God asks from us to believe and that is what we will always do. Amen.