God will provide himself

Genesis 22:1-18

Sacrifice v2 – Has your vision become an idol? Abraham had waited and believed for a long time for this son. Had his son become more important to him than obeying God?

God has a way of testing your heart - Sacrifice it to Him. Give it back to God and let Him decide what to do with it.

Mountain v4 – Where is your mountain? What is your calling?

There are 7 Mountains of Influence in Culture...

In 1975, Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade, and Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With a Mission, had lunch together in Colorado. God simultaneously gave each of these change agents a message to give to the other. During that same time frame Francis Schaeffer was given a similar message. That message was that if we are to impact any nation for Jesus Christ, then we would have to affect the seven spheres, or mountains of society that are the pillars of any society.

These seven mountains are business, government, media, arts and entertainment, education, the family and religion. There are many subgroups under these main categories. About a month later the Lord showed Francis Schaeffer the same thing. In essence, God was telling these three change agents where the battlefield was. It was here where culture would be won or lost. Their assignment was to raise up change agents to scale the mountains and to help a new generation of change agents understand the larger story.

https://www.7culturalmountains.org/

Worship v5 – He built an altar at the place God told him to. His act of worship had to cost him something. Worthship – Worship. The value of the sacrifice is linked to how memorable the act of worship is to both parties.

Abraham's Prophecy v8 "My Son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering"

Protection v12 "Lay not thy hand upon the lad"

There was protection for Isaac from Abraham and protection for Abraham from the ram. The ram was suddenly behind and above him, this was quite possibly an attack and as it arose to butt Abraham its horns were caught in the branches.

Job 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?

Psalm 91 NLT 1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.

4 He will cover you with his feather's, He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection.

Provision v13 "a ram caught in a thicket by his horns"

Abraham had prophesied that the Lord would provide the lamb and after obeying his instructions, his hand is stayed and he sees the provision.

There will be many times when the Lord not only protects us from attack but turns that attack into the provision that we need. Blessing follows battle both physical and spiritual.

2 Kings 7:6-8 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

2 Chron 20:25 King James Bible And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much. 26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.

2 Samuel 3:22 King James Bible And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from pursuing a troop, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace.

Multiplication v16 King James Bible And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

He receives a double blessing because he offered 2 sacrifices.

When the Lord asks us to sacrifice something that is valuable to us, it is both a test of idolatry and the doorway to multiplication. If we are willing to let it go we have demonstrated that it is not an idol to us and the Lord can trust us with more of it.

Written by Pastor Graeme Foster

Apostolic Praise Centre

Apostolic Prophetic Training network