Title: “Breaking Bread Together”

Text: “When ye come together therefore into one place,…when ye come together to eat…ye come not together unto condemnation: (1 Corinthians 11:20, 33-34).

A man named Vance havner once said, “A church needs to take time out to tune up.” This is what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 11.  The Lord’s Supper will enable a church to be in tune with Jesus Christ.

When a church has the mind of Christ, the observance of the Lord’s Supper is meaningful.  When a church is demonstrating love for Christ and for one another, the Lord’s Table is a blessing beyond expression.  What makes breaking bread together so significant?

Breaking bread together is a distinctive experience.  The Lord’s Supper is distinctive in the heart of Christ.  It is uniquely given against the background of the Passover.  The Lord’s Supper was given during the Passion Week. The Passion Week is Jesus’ last week before the cross.  It was his last official act before being arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. It was also the seal of the new covenant that God gave to humanity in that the covenant was sealed by the blood of Jesus.  Thus, Jesus commanded that his followers perpetuate the Lord’s Supper throughout the ages.

It is distinctive in the life of the church.  The church practiced breaking bread together often.  The book of Acts indicates that it was a vital part of the church’s life (Acts 2:42-46; 20:7).

It is distinctive in the lives of believers because the Lord’s supper is for members of the body of Christ.  In that personal relationship, it is a part of a believer’s life and worship and faithful continuance in Christ (Acts 2:41-47).

However, the Lord’s Supper needed to be more distinctive in the church at Corinth because they were surrounding “bread breaking together” with selfish attitudes and divided relationships.  First Corinthians 11:17-22 describes these circumstances. What the church needs today is a new distinctiveness regarding the Lord’s Supper in our lives.

Breaking bread together is an act of discernment.  Verse 28 of our text says, “Let a man examine himself.”  This means that each of us is responsible for the manner we approach the Lord’s Supper.  There are three areas in which we need to examine ourselves.

We need to examine ourselves in our relationship to Jesus Christ.  In the light of Luke 22:21-24, is our attitude toward Christ one that is genuine and transparent, or are we secretly betraying him? In light of 2 Corinthians 13:5, are we truly in Christ, and are we growing in Christ. In light of 1 Corinthians 11:27, is there any area of guilt toward the Lord in breaking his bread and drinking his cup? 

We need to examine ourselves in relationship to ourselves.  Verse 29 of our text refers to “damnation to himself.” Let us accept our personal responsibilities so that we are not guilty before God and within ourselves.  All unworthy attitudes and unconfessed sins, any spiritual insensitivity toward others and carelessness toward needs in our lives, all must be spiritually confronted and corrected.

We need to examine ourselves in relationship to the church.  We are members of the body of Christ, but it is possible that we lack discernment in this area (verse 29).  What results in Christians when this is overlooked? Verse 30 says that many become weak and sick spiritually.  According to Luke 22:25-27, we are to have a servant’s attitude toward other members of the church. Strength and love and unity will characterize the church that does.

Breaking bread together is an act of devotion.  Verse 24 of our test clearly states the purpose of the Lord’s Supper: “This do in remembrance of me.” Observing the Lord’s Supper is remembering that Jesus gave his life for us in his sacrificial sufferings.  When we have that focus, our lives will be centered on all that he desires for us.

Two things may occur as we sit at his table.  We share in the blood of Christ. It means that as we take the cup of the Lord, we are identifying ourselves with the meaning of Christ’s blood.  We share in the sacrificial spirit of his death, but we also share in the victory of Christ’s blood. “There is power in the blood” as we have so often sang.

That power gives us victory over sins.  Romans 3:23 says that as we stand before God as sinners, we have victory.  Romans 3:24-26 clearly tells us that it is God who forgives our sins, not because he overlooks them, but because he sees the blood of Jesus.  On the Day of Atonement, the blood was shed for sins, and this pleased God. At the Passover, God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13).  This, there is forgiveness, as Colossians 1:14 says, “We have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” We also have victory over guilt. We also have victory over the devil. 

Sitting at the Lord’s Table means there is to be a oneness in the body of Christ.  Verse 17 of 1 Corinthians 10 speaks of “one bread” and “one body” and says that we are all partakers of that “one bread.” This means that we share in a unity with others who also sit at the Lord’s Table.

It is God’s will that his people be one in the Spirit.  This was the burden of Jesus’ high-priestly prayer in John 17, not only for his immediate disciples but also for all who would come to know him.

The church at Corinth illustrates that the body of Christ may be marked with envy, strife, and division (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).  It was Paul’s purpose , however, that they recognize their essential oneness, as 1 Corinthians 3:8 teaches: “Now he that planted and he that watereth are one.”  Disunity is promoted by Christians who are carnal ( Corinthians 3:1-3); that is, they are not filled with the Spirit and under his control.

The observance of the Lord’s Supper is a pointed reminder that it grieves the heart of Christ for Christians to sit together at his table when there is a lack of oneness in the spirit.  Only a renouncing of pride and a confession of the sin of self-centeredness will open the way for unity of the Spirit to be experienced. 

Each of us holds the key to true fellowship with Christ and our fellow believers.  As we submit ourselves to Christ and his purpose in the Lord’s Supper, and as we come to his table spiritually prepared, his cup does become “the cup of blessing.” If we acknowledge that the Lord’s Supper is a distinctive experience, an act of discernment, and an act of devotion, it will indeed be a dynamic experience for both individual believers and the church as a whole.  It will result in a spirit of renewal in our lives. God bless you all!!

SERMON BY THE REVEREND AMOS MCCARTHY

SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

JULY 21, 2019

Title: The Church: You are the Salt of the Earth”

Text: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? (Matthew 5:13 NIV).

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:1-13.

The sermon on the Mount was not given to provide guidelines to an unbelieving world; it was given to provide a description of the character of an ideal kingdom citizens.  When Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth,” he was speaking specifically to his disciples, those who were characterized by the virtues set forth in the verses we commonly call the beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-9).  The beatitudes are not beautiful pious platitudes. They constitute a vivid description of the characteristics of ideal citizens of the kingdom of God.

Those who possess these spiritual characteristics will provide a response from others around them.  People who are ill-disposed toward God and his way of life will respond with persecution toward sincere followers of Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:10-11).  Ideal kingdom citizens citizens will have a wholesome effect on those who are well-disposed toward God by serving as the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:3-16).  In Matthew 5:10-16 our Lord described the negative and the positive responses of the unbelieving world toward his disciples.

Jesus was a master communicator.  He used common experiences and objects to communicate great truths about God, about people, and about various roles and responsibilities.  Salt was one common yet very significant metaphor Jesus used to describe the nature and function of his church. People living close to the sea could obtain plenty of salt, but people living inland often had to barter for it.  Part of the Roman soldier’s pay was given to him in salt, and it was called salarium. From this Latin word comes our word salary. Hence we can understand why salt was considered valuable.

Jesus expects his church to function as salt in the earth.  Are you like salt? Or have you lost your saltiness?

David H. Johnson explains the importance of salt and how powerful it is.  Sodium is an extremely active element found naturally only in combined form; it always links itself to another element. Chlorine, on the other hand, is the poisonous gas that gives bleach its offensive odor. When sodium and chlorine are combined, the result is sodium chloride–common table salt–the substance we use to preserve meat and bring out its flavor. Love and truth can be like sodium and chlorine. Love without truth is flighty, sometimes blind, willing to combine with various doctrines. On the other hand, truth by itself can be offensive, sometimes even poisonous. Spoken without love, it can turn people away from the gospel. When truth and love are combined in an individual or a church, however, then we have what Jesus called “the salt of the earth,” and we’re able to preserve and bring out the beauty of our faith.  This morning we will learn together how the church is the salt of the earth.  

As salt the church is very valuable.  The church is valuable to the heart of God and to the living Christ for the carrying forward of the work he began during his earthly ministry.  As salt the church is also valuable to the community and to the world. Few people would want to live in a community where the influence of the church was not felt.  It would be difficult for those of us who in the Western world to fully evaluate the value the people of God has brought into our culture, our government, and our entire way of life.

As salt the church is essential to the world’s well-being.  Our Lord used this metaphor to describe the church’s simple but essential function in the community.  Salt performed a number of unique and significant functions.  

Salt was used as a condiment to add zest to food.  When foods, especially vegetables, taste flat and are in need of seasoning, more salt is the remedy.  It is also necessary for the health of the human body. The idea Christian and the ideal congregation will bring a beauty, fragrance, and flavor to the life of the community that will be wholesome and helpful.

Salt was used as an antiseptic.  It was a cleansing agent that served the same function that peroxide or alcohol does today.  When the church is functioning as it should, it will perform a cleaning and antiseptic function in the community.  

Salt was used primarily to preserve meat and fish from decay.  Jesus and his disciples were close to the Sea of Galilee and thus the fishing industry.  When the newly caught fish were not used immediately, the fishermen would salt them or place them in brine to preserve them.  When the church is truly the church, it will preserve the moral, spiritual, and cultural life of the community from decline and decay.

Salt was a silent but positive force.  Salt does not make a great outward display and does not blow a trumpet concerning its presence.  Salt simply and silently performed its function. It is a decisive and positive force. Jesus would have his church to be just as positive.  

Jesus points out the possibility of salt losing its saltiness.  When this happens, it is of absolutely no value. It is dumped on the roadway where it cannot harm crops and will be crushed by traffic.  Jesus uses his powerful illustration to warn his disciples against the peril of losing their Christian witness and influence.  

One of the means by which salt loses its saltiness is by isolation.  When you separate the crystalline grains of salt from one another, they lose their saltiness.  The same is true with disciples of our Lord who separate themselves from the fellowship of believers and walk either in disobedience or in indifference and noninvolvement.

Salt can lose its saltiness by contaminating contact with other substances.  If dirt or sawdust or some other substance is mixed with salt, it will lose its saltiness and will be able to perform its unique function.  Believers are thus put on guard against letting attitudes and ambitions enter their hearts that would contaminate their lives, destroying their influence and preventing them from being the distinctive followers of Jesus Christ they were called to be.

If we are to retain our true saltiness and perform our true ministry, we must stay close to the attitudes expressed in the Beatitudes and let Jesus be the Lord of our lives.  We must make a positive response to the cleansing fire of the Holy Spirit so that he can purge out attitudes and actions that would contaminate our lives and ruin our witness.

Putting a lump of salt on your tongue will intensify your thirst for water.  Being a genuine follower of Jesus Christ will cause your life to function as the salt that creates thirst for the living water found only in Jesus Christ.  Salt performs many functions, but it does not have the power to give new life. Only Jesus Christ can do that. The Holy Spirit will use the witness of those who are the salt of the earth to create a thirst in the hearts of unbelievers to know the Savior.  Apart from his church, our Lord has no program by which the service that we are intended to render can be accomplished. Remember you are the salt of the earth. “You are the salt of the earth”

SERMON BY THE REVEREND AMOS MCCARTHY

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, JULY 14, 2014.

Title: “What do you know about God?”

Text: “But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.  I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his Holy hill… I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me” (Psalms 3:3-5 KJV).

Scripture Reading: Psalm 3:1-8.

Think with me about everyday life for a moment. You are moving at a brisk pace as you exit your car, anxious because you fear you are late. You have an early morning meeting with your teenager’s teacher before you head off to work. Ladies, you have a cup of coffee in your left hand, purse over your shoulder, and white pants on, fresh from the dry cleaners. In a moment you discover the lid is not secure to your coffee. The coffee spills all over your beautiful white pants. The next instant there’s a pain from the heat of the coffee and you look down to discover there’s no way the coffee stain can be camouflaged. What if this were you? What would your thoughts about God be as you stand in the parking lot embarrassed and frustrated? Which of these might be your response in that situation? “God, are you punishing me for something?” “I guess You didn’t want me to go to that meeting.”  “It was cool how You had this happen before I was inside the school.” “Why didn’t you protect me?”Often our responses to life’s circumstances reveal how we think about God, whether it’s falling down stairs, getting a promotion, or discovering that a relative has a terminal disease.  How You View God Matters. How do you view Him? J.I. Packer in his classic book entitled “Knowing God” writes: “Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.”

To know about God, we must know his character. Let’s talk about God’s character for a moment. We need to tread carefully here. God cannot be fully known. To think we can perfectly describe God is drawing you a map of the moon. To think we can perfectly describe God is more out of reach than to tell you what a woman is thinking. The Bible describes God as the one: “… who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see.” (1 Timothy 6:16b) Augustine expresses the truth best like this: “Only the infinite God can fully comprehend the infinite. The difference between God’s being and ours is more than the difference between the sun and a candle. It’s more than the difference between the ocean and a raindrop. And more than the difference between the universe and the room we are sitting in.” God is qualitatively different than you or I. Every aspect of God is infinite for God is without limits in every aspect. While God cannot be fully known, we can be confident that we do know Him.

Yet, we trust Scripture here because inside the pages of Scripture, God has chosen to reveal Himself. The Bible is God pulling back the curtain so we can better see Him and know Him and ultimately trust Him. This is the value of our Bible! Yes, while God cannot be fully known, we can be confident that we do know Him.

Think with me about organizing our thoughts on God. There is no way we can say everything the Bible teaches us about God’s rich character at once. Typically, God’s attributes or His character has been thought of as belonging to two categories. The most common way believers have done this is where we differentiate the characteristics God shares with us humans and those which cannot be shared with us. These are called communicable attributes. There’s the attributes God shares with us to some degree. These are the traits we can share with God. We will never be equal to God in His wisdom, love, and holiness, but God shares these characteristics with His children. But there’s also the attributes God is unable to share with us. These are called incommunicable attributes. These are the qualities that make God different.  Some examples of these are God’s self-existent, immutability, and His infinity. When I say God is self-immutable, I am saying God is like granite and He never changes. 

Today, we are going to see how the characteristics where God is not like us makes Him extremely valuable. Turn your attention to Psalm 3 read a few moments ago. The headlights of your attention need to focus here for it is God’s character that comforts King David when enemies surround him. The 3rd Psalm is a unique Psalm in the fact that it is the first time the word ”Psalm” occurs. Our word Psalm comes from a Hebrew word meaning a poem that is to be sung to musical accompaniment. While most Scripture speaks to us; remember, the Psalms speak for us.

Here’s some background to today’s passage. Take note of the title of Psalm 3: ”A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.” About 1,000 years before Jesus, Absalom was King David’s third son. Ammon was David’s first son and raped his half-sister, Tamar in an elaborate ruse (2 Samuel 13:1-22). Two years later, Absalom got revenge by murdering Ammon (2 Samuel 13:23-30). Fearing punishment from his father, he hid for three years. Yet, even when Absalom came back to Jerusalem in close proximity to his father, the 2 did not speak for another 2 years (2 Samuel 14:24). Absalom plots to take over his father’s throne by currying favor with the citizens of Israel (2 Samuel 15:1-6). He portrayed himself as someone who cared more about the people’s complaints than his father. “So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel” (2 Samuel 15:6b). Once Absalom had the will of the people behind him, he set his plans in motion. With an army behind him, he marched against his father and forced him to flee Jerusalem. “But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went” (2 Samuel 15:30). Absalom had made himself king over Israel. In time, David eventually retakes the throne and against his express wishes, Absalom is killed. It was shortly after this painful time that David pens the poem of Psalm 3.

This is a 911 psalm for when emergencies arise, you call out to God and say, ”Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God” (Psalm 3:7a)! Again, how you view God matters. I don’t know about you, For me,God Is my Shield, God Is My Glory, and God Lifts my Head.

God Is Our Shield.  ”But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” (Psalm 3:3). Note how this chapter begins with the repetition of the word ”many”: O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 2 many are saying of my soul, ”There is no salvation for him in God.” (Psalm 3:1-2). Three times in two verses we are told many are my foes, many people are rising up against me, and many are saying all is lost. I know a lot of you have had troubles, you probably don’t have an army after you. David did have an army after him and the longer Absalom talked, the more David’s enemies increased. Things have grown from bad to worse for David. What once was a covert rebellion is now an open mutiny. David had gone from being a king on a throne to a criminal on the run.

How do we know the size of the shield David is talking about? Underline the words ”about me” in verse 3 for this is a shield that totally encloses someone. The words ”about me” are the same words that speak of Job: ”Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land” (Job 1:10). You can see the size of the shield as it goes around David.

“God is a big shield!” He protects you in the middle of your battles. He can even protect you while your sleep: 5.“I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around” (Psalm 3:5-6).

I love how every syllable of verse three is dripping with confidence in God: ”But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head” (Psalm 3:3). Now, just because God is your shield, doesn’t mean the enemy will quit shooting their arrows.

God is My Shield. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). ”He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler” (Psalm 91:4).  Another Scripture put it this way: 9.O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. 11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield” (Psalm 115:9-11). To every genuine child of God’s grace, God says over you, ”I am your shield.”

God Is Our Glory. I want you to relocate your glory this morning. ”But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head” (Psalm 3:3). Your glory is another way of saying your security or your worth. Let me put you on the spot with a question, ”Can you be happy without God?” There are a lot of people in this world, who if they read in the headlines today that God was dead, they would go home and sleep like a baby, but if they got a phone call that they lost their job, they would lose their mind.

It is possible to be a Christian and still worship idols. How do I know if I have an idol, a counterfeit god, in my life? When anything other than God is essential for your happiness, you essentially have an idol. Believers make their glory out of ”counterfeit gods.” So many of us, our glory is our family. Our glory is our youth and health. Our glory is our spouse. Our glory is our children’s academic or athletic accomplishments. These are ”counterfeit gods.” This happens when we give the praise for all these achievements to ourselves rather than to God.

Again, David’s third son Absalom was trying to kill him. Yet, David sowed the seeds of his own possible destruction and his family dysfunction. David’s was David’s worst enemy: ”Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun” (2 Samuel 12:11). Absalom had wanted David’s love and attention so much because David never corrected the young man, even when Absalom murdered one of his brothers. Was David afraid of alienating his son? In effect, David made an idol of his children and suffered the consequences.

You must relocate your glory. Why? Because, If we look to some created thing to give you meaning, hope, and happiness that only God himself can give, it will eventually fail to deliver and break your heart. Every ”child-gods” will collapse under the weight of your expectations. There is only one God who can deliver and withstand the pressure of your hopes and dreams. So many of us could be disappointed in life if our glory is in ”child-gods.” That’s why you must relocate your glory. You may not realize Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.

God Lifts Our Head. David was a low as you could get when he left the capital. Remember the description: ”But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went” (2 Samuel 15:30).

David reassures himself despite his troubles.  “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head” (Psalm 3:3).  Whenever we are discouraged or defeated or depressed, what do we tend to do? We hang our heads and troubles weigh us down. When our shoulders are drooping, our spirits are sagging, and his head hangs limp, God is close at hand.

Family trouble is like no other trouble. We rarely look up when there is a family shame. Yet, even with the shame of your family’s skeletons, God will lift your head. Mothers, pause to know that God is One who lifts your head.  Despite David’s faith, Absalom died rebellious and estranged from his father. Sometimes our circumstances don’t turn out for the better. But no matter what transpires, of this you may be sure: God is a shield about you. He is your glory. He is the One who will lift your head.

And when God lifts your head, who can come against you? Can you say with David that “God is my God!” (Psalm 3:7a) God can be your shield, your glory, and the lifter of your head today! If you can say that, then God bless you.

SERMON BY THE REVEREND AMOS MCCARTHY

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

JULY 7, 2019

Title:  “How much do you love God?”

Text:  “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:2).

Scripture Reading 22:1-14.

Leighton Farrell, the minister of Highland Park Church in Dallas for many years, told the story of a man in the church who once made a covenant with a former pastor to tithe ten percent of their income every year. They were both young and neither of them had much money. But things changed. The layman tithed one thousand dollars the year he earned ten thousand, ten thousand dollars the year he earned one-hundred thousand, and one- hundred thousand dollars the year he earned one million. But the year he earned six million dollars he just could not bring himself to write out that check for six-hundred thousand dollars to the Church.  He telephoned the minister, long since having moved to another church, and asked to see him. Walking into the pastor’s office the man begged to be let out of the covenant, saying, “This tithing business has to stop. It was fine when my tithe was one thousand dollars, but I just cannot afford six-hundred thousand dollars. You’ve got to do something, Reverend!” The pastor knelt on the floor and prayed silently for a long time. Eventually the man said, “What are you doing? Are you praying that God will let me out of the covenant to tithe?” “No,” said the minister. “I am praying for God to reduce your income back to the level where one thousand dollars will be your tithe!”

Few stories in the Old Testament convey their message as clearly as the account from Abraham’s trek to offer Isaac on the altar.  We become excited as we move from event to event.  Also, if we are observant, we notice the many things that the Holy Spirit omitted in telling us this story.  Among these are the personal conversations that must have taken place between Abraham and Isaac as they journey toward Moriah.

No way exists for us to know the method God used to communicate his will to Abraham.  Nor is it necessary for us to have this knowledge. Whether God spoke in an audible voice, through a dream or vision, or in some other way is not nearly as important as the fact that Abraham understood God’s will and was obedient to it.  The basic truth of this story runs like a golden thread throughout the Old Testament. In fact, two outstanding themes from the story continued through the Old Testament. First, God wants the best from us in worship. Second, sacrifice is at the heart of God’s plan for humankind, especially in redemption.  These two truths, expressed so explicitly in this story, are repeated many times and under many circumstances throughout the rest of the Old Testament accounts.

First, God wants us to love him.  God’s command to Abraham probably came soon after Abraham’s covenant with Abimelech. God’s promise to give Abraham an heir had been fulfilled, and nothing seemed in the way of the Lord’s redemptive program being worked out through Abraham.  But God felt that Abraham needed another test. He wanted the patriarch to be a person of unquestioned faith and produce a family of like character. The command for Abraham to offer Isaac was actually a command to demonstrate how much love he had for God and how much faith he had in both the resources of God and his integrity to keep his word.  When God commanded Abraham to take his son Isaac to Moriah to offer him as a sacrifice, he added the phrase “who thou lovest” to indicate the affection the father had toward the son. Child sacrifice was common among Abraham’s neighbors. So this was God’s way of saying, “How much do you love me, Abraham? Do you love me as much as the pagan people around you love their gods?  If so, are you willing to do for me what they are willing to do for their gods?”

The decision must have been difficult. Yet Abraham “rose up early in the morning” and began the difficult journey.  He loved God and wanted to obey as quickly as possible.  Prompt obedience is the best demonstration of respect and love.  During the American Civil War General Robert F. Lee dispatched a note to Stonewall Jackson saying, “At your convenience, I would like to see you on a matter of not much importance.”  Late that night, although the rain was pouring, General Jackson knocked on the door of General Lee’s headquarters. “Come in, man, come in. What on earth brings you out on a night like this?” Jackson replied, “Your note, sir.”  General Lee replied, “I said, ‘at your convenience.’” General Jackson raised his hand in salute and said, “General, your slightest wish is my command, and this general delights in prompt obedience.”

We never lost what we put on the altar for God.  Abraham’s heart must have beaten rapidly as he took his son and let him up the mountain.  To add heartbreak, he laid the wood on Isaac. How beautifully we see this event symbolizes the coming event, when God the Father would put the cross on his own Son for the world’s redemption! Actually Abraham offered Isaac.  The book of Hebrews state the fact emphatically , “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promise offered up his only begotten son” (11:17). When Abraham’s will was completely dedicated to the fact that he was going to do it, he had, in his heart, performed the act.  God will accept the will even though the deed has not been done, but he will never accept the deed if the will has not truly surrendered.  

Although Abraham then offered Isaac, he did not lose him.  We never lose what we give to God. We often hear, “You can’t outgive God.”  When we dedicate ourselves and our possessions to God, he gives back, sometimes tenfold, sometimes fiftyfold, and sometimes a hundredfold.  This does not mean that God will automatically make us wealthy merely because we become tithers. God can give us many blessings besides material ones.  Yet, God does have a marvelous way of making the nine-tenths go further than the ten-tenths when the first tenth is dedicated to him.

Another strange fact about this matter of “laying upon the altar” is that God often gives back, with extra dividends, that which we give to him.  God takes our talents when they are dedicated to him and multiplies them far more than we ever could in our own selfish pursuits. When we, as Hannah did (1 Samuel 1:28), “lend’ our children to God, he makes them far greater than we had chosen to push them into the rat race for materialistic things and worldly acclaim.  Abraham gave Isaac to God, and he received Isaac back and many descendants through him.  

The hymn writer J. H. Sammis penned, but we never can prove the delight of his love, until all on the altar we lay; For the favor he shows and the joy he bestows, Are for them who will trust and obey.

True stewardship requires great faith.  Unless we are persons of faith, we can never be effective stewards of God.  Abraham was a man who literally lived by faith. Every step in his life required that he trusted God to the utmost.  When he left Ur of the Chaldees, when he left Haran to go to Canaan, when he waited patiently for the seed God promised, and finally when he was willing to offer the seed on the altar, all of these and many more events in his life required faith.  The writer of Hebrews gives another interesting commentary on this great steward of God. He wrote that Abraham believed “that God could raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death” (11:19 NIV). This, of course, agrees with the statement of Abraham to the servant, “Abide ye here….I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you” (Genesis 22:5).  To give our possessions to God on a regular, sustained basis requires faith. The real test is, of course, how much we love God. 

This entire story of Abraham and Isaac memorializes God’s goodness and his promise for the future.  To those who trust in him, God gives deliverance in times of extremity. The name Jehovah-jireh literally means, “the Lord will provide.”  Perhaps the nearest equivalent in English is our familiar truism “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” Only those who love the Lord and obey him come to know this great truth.  Have you ever taken an honest look at your own motivation for stewardship? We need to remember that God’s command for us to bring our money to him is not a way of raising funds for carrying on his work.  Rather, it is his plan for developing people. It is showing how much we love God. God bless you all.