God's Provision

Genesis 22:8-“Abraham said, ‘God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.’ So they went both of them together.”

1.      God merits our offerings

a.       Abraham is giving what God deserves: his life and obedience. God is the creator of all life. When he created the universe, everything was as it should be, and he sought its goodness and made it that way. Now, even after man’s sinned, he STILL shows His faithfulness: he makes the sun shine on, both, sinner and believer; and the rain, and every earthly blessing has been given to believer and sinner, alike! To Abraham, at the age of 100, God gave Isaac to be a son.

b.      But THAT isn’t the real reason God's merited our offerings, our worship, and our desires. Can you guess?...
Let me help you, brethren: Everything about God is perfect. There is not one flaw in His character, he’s altogether good. Mercy AND Justice are in His heart. His eyes see past lies. But wherever sin abounds, His grace abounds much more! His fingertips stretched the blue skies you see now. Every breath we take is fulfilled by His desires. Your lives are kept alive for His plan. Consider, just when we’ve thought there must’ve been a better plan for the universe, God’s wisdom dumbfounds us! Whenever we devastate Him with our sins, He’s able to use SIN…for GOOD! There’s NOTHING about God that ISN’T GOOD!! He makes no mistakes, and THIS is the REAL BEAUTY of God. His spotlessness, His perfection. To put it in one defining word: God…is…holy.

c.       You might think the bully on the playground has merited your offerings. Or your Teacher who’s been there through thick and thin. Or perhaps the President (or Pharaoh of Egypt) deserves your respect. Or your parents. But, I tell you the truth, NO ONE, not ONE, deserves it more than God. And when we don’t give him what He deserves, we miss the WHOLE point of life, and THAT is what sin is, isn’t it?: The point of life is for God.

2.      We cannot give an offering to God

a.   Although God deserves and merits our offerings, SIN leaves us in an endless debt to God. Can a thief work in a stockroom? Can a murderer or sex-offender childsit? Or can someone who owes money give gifts without paying his debt? Can a sinner be an ‘offerer’ to God? (no) Until our “title” as sinners is erased, we cannot give an offering to God! Our debt must first be paid! But what an endless debt Hell is. THAT is ‘prison for life.’ But not like here on earth. Rom 6:23-The wages of sin is hell…

b.      Can you afford hell? When will it be over? When will you finally be justified and called innocent? The answer may shock you: NEVER!

                                                              i.      Revelations 14:10-11 “[The enemies of God] also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

There will not be night or day to rest. And torment will go forever and ever. If we go to hell, we will be begging God to kill us, but that will never happen because the wages of sin is Hell…And we would never be justified.

c.       But God will provide for himself the lamb

                                                              i.      But Abraham’s learned something that you and I haven’t learned yet. He’s learned that God…provides…for himself…the sacrifice.

                                                            ii.      God…provides…for himself…the sacrifice. When Abraham stood on that mountaintop, with all of his sins, his imperfection, all his previous mistakes of doubting God, ready to give God his son…God made a sacrifice instead. He looked at Abraham and treated him like he didn’t need to sacrifice.

                                                          iii.      Is this too absurd to think? Is a holy God willing to pay for US? To make his own sacrifice for us? Let me ask you, is God good? Is God good!?...Well, God’s goodness overwhelms our debt!

1.      The price of sin? Paid for!

2.      The guilt of sin? Justified!

3.      The weight of sin? Carried!

4.      The separation of sin? Broken!

THAT is a holy God!! To merit offerings, but pay others’ sins. What a God?! THAT is holy…

                                                          iv.       Why do we sin, beloved? Why do we keep doing what Jesus died for? Isn’t God enough? And isn’t God more satisfying than Life itself? It’s plain Logic: Either Jesus is everything to us, or he’s nothing; either He’s life, or he’s death. Choose this day who you will follow and trust. As for Abraham, (and I pray you too), He chose to see God’s holiness, believe his own need for God, and obey God. In the end, Abraham didn’t lose anything, but gained “Everything.”

Lord, Please open our eyes to see your Holiness, and your grace! Open our eyes to see your son as the sacrifice in place of our sins so that we could go to heaven with you if we believe. Help us believe in our need for Jesus, everyday. And if at any moment we lose the joy of your salvation, please restore it. We trust you, let your will be done. Forgive us for our sins, including the ones we’re not aware of. And lead me now from here with these words and your spirit in my life. Through your son, the Lamb of God, we pray, Amen.