Uncommon Faith
Anthony Connington
Focus: A faith observed leads to a faith lived that becomes a legacy of faith
A Faith Observed
A Faith Lived
A Legacy of Faith
The Life of Isaac
The Family Background
Genesis 12–God calls Abram from the land of Ur to move and settle into the land of Cannan. He traveled across the world with his wife Sari and in faith believed the promise that God would bless him with many descendants. For years, the deepest longing of their heart, the desire to have children, was yet an unfulfilled promise from God.
How many of you know your own birth story, or maybe know someone else’s?
Genesis 21: Isaac is born into this family of faith
Isaac means “he laughs” or “laughter”
Isaac is the direct result of the promise, the fulfillment of the word given to Abraham and Sarah.
A Faith Observed
Isaac grew up knowing his birth story and that he was the promised son. In the eyes of his parents he was the golden boy, the prized child in his house. All the focus, attention, and love was given to him alone. So much so that his older step brother Ishmael was kicked out of the house. Isaac was then an only child.
Imagine growing up like this with wealthy parents, God’s blessing present everywhere, and looking up to a mom and dad who have a very strong faith. Isaac grew up watching his mother and father interact with God and he enjoyed all the family blessings and prospered as a result of his parents faith.
Then comes chapter 22
Genesis 22:1-19
“After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered. 2 “Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” 3 So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the knife, and the two of them walked on together. 7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.” And he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide[a] the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together. 9 When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac[b] and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He replied, “Here I am.” 12 Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram[c] caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide,[d] so today it is said, “It will be provided[e] on the Lord’s mountain.” 15 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn,” this is the Lord’s declaration: “Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the city gates of their[f] enemies. 18 And all the nations of the earth will be blessed[g] by your offspring because you have obeyed my command.” 19 Abraham went back to his young men, and they got up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham settled in Beer-sheba.”
A few details to take note of
This was a test designed and orchestrated by God. It was at God’s command that this sacrifice was to take place
Abraham immediately obeyed without question and left early the next morning
In verse 7 notice that Isaac was very familiar with Abrahams’s sacrificial worship. Isaac was taught the proper way to relate with and ultimately worship God. This event was very different then all the other times he had seen before.
Notice Abrham’s faith, he tells his 2 servants that he and his son will come back to them after they worship. He knew God would raise Isaac from the dead.
Notice God’s provision, the ram in the thicket. When tested, God always has a provision for us, but it may come in ways we did not see or expect.
The test re-shaped and re-defined both Abraham and Isaac’s faith in God. The promise was reaffirmed and God used this test to build strength and fortitude within the family.
Hebrews 11:17-19
“17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son, 18 the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring[a] will be traced through Isaac.[b] 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.”
This event showed that Abraham loved God more than the blessings and promises God had given Him. He was willing to trust God and sacrifice the most precious gift God had given to him, his son of promise Isaac.
Abraham was willing to give it all up to please the LORD.
The question for us today is the same. Are we following God just for his blessings and promises, or are we following God because we desire to be with Him above anything else?
To be clear, the promises of God are very good and essential in our daily walk and relationship with Him. Cling to those promises and with uncommon faith hold fast to them. However, the question still needs to be asked, do we love the blessings and promises of God more than the person of God?
Are we following God because we think we can get what we want? What if God’s plan is for us to be transformed and become more like Him? What if that plan includes pain, suffering, rejection, and persecution? Are you willing to sacrifice your prized promise and blessing in order to gain Christ the ultimate blessing?
A Faith Lived
Isaac could not live on his fathers faith, he needed to make his faith his own. He needed to learn how to walk with God on his own.
Isaac experienced a series of tests.
The first test happened when Isaac was 37 years old. His mother died and during this dark period, the family had many choices that needed to be made. Abraham bought a field from the Hittites. This would ultimately be the only land he actually possessed during his lifetime.
During this period of mourning and major life transition, God was faithful and showed his love again to this family.
At this time, in his old age, Abraham sought a wife for Isaac. In faith Isaac agreed to marry and stay in the land. Genesis 24 recounts this beautiful love story, it is my personal favorite.
Isaac chose to obey and not marry a foreign woman and also chose to obey even when he was struggling with this major loss, he did not give up faith in God, but persevered–uncommon faith.
Later in In Genesis 25 we see that Abraham dies. Isaac is now charged with leading his family and everyone looked to him to lead.
Isaac’s next test happened when his wife was unable to conceive. He knew his own story and that God is able and would come through to fulfill the promise. He chose to pray.
Genesis 25:21
“Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord was receptive to his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.”
Uncommon faith was not just for Isaac. Take note in the next verse what Rebekah did when complications arose during the pregnancy.
Genesis 25:22-26
“But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” [a] So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her:
Two nations are in your womb;
two peoples will come from you and be separated.
One people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.24 When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. 25 The first one came out red-looking,[b] covered with hair[c] like a fur coat, and they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel with his hand. So he was named Jacob.[d] Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.” Ed
In faith Rebekah inquired of the LORD. In response, God gave her a word of prophecy that would then define the lives of her two sons. In this story it was Rebekah who took this prophecy to heart and was comforted knowing God would follow through on His promises.
Isaacs next major test was the famine that came upon the land. What would he do?
Genesis 26:1-5
“There was another famine in the land in addition to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land that I tell you about; 3 stay in this land as an alien, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed[a] by your offspring, 5 because Abraham listened to me and kept my mandate, my commands, my statutes, and my instructions.”
We see that God reaffirms the promise to Isaac and in faith Isaac obeyed God and built his life in the land. Unlike his father, Isaac did not go to Egypt and instead chose to plant crops and do business where God commanded him to live. As a result he was blessed a hundredfold and became very wealthy.
Genesis 26:12-14
“Isaac sowed seed in that land, and in that year he reaped[a] a hundred times what was sown. The Lord blessed him, 13 and the man became rich and kept getting richer until he was very wealthy. 14 He had flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, and many slaves, and the Philistines were envious of him.”
“When the whole world is running toward a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.” – C.S. Lewis
Watch the journey. Isaac observes his parents faith and grows up with this great legacy. But he needed to build his own life in God. Isaac needs to go through his own test, trials, rejections, and persecutions. He needed to take that faith he had seen and then put it into practice himself.
Whether it be choosing a spouse, enduring a loved one's death, experiencing barrenness of the womb or living through a famine, Isaac displayed uncommon faith time and time again.
*Personal Story*
Uncommon faith is not the same as perfection. Isaac struggled over and over again, he wrestled with God, prayed, worked, planted, and chose to live and worship God no matter the sacrifice, pain or disorienting circumstance. Uncommon faith is choosing to believe, choosing to look to God when you are helpless. Choosing to bless His name even when you feel utter despair.
God is our anchor. He alone is our rock, our firm foundation. He can be trusted.
I
A Legacy of Faith
Leaving a legacy of faith is great because it endures beyond our life time and impacts more people than you can count.
In Isaac’s story God was not just concerned with his own family but in the background orchestrating events that would last for generations to come.
Is your faith walk marked by multi-generational thinking? Do you have faith to believe God working not just today with you, but through your great-great-great-great-great grandchildren? Are we praying with that type of legacy in mind?
God is always thinking beyond just our lifetimes. Look at this example here.
2 Chronicles 3:1
“Then Solomon began to build the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah where the Lord[a] had appeared to his father David, at the site David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan[b] the Jebusite.”
Mount Moriah is the place where God met with David, and where Solomon built the temple of the LORD. This is a LEGACY of FAITH.
Do you see it! 1000 years before David, God ordained Abraham’s test as a reflection of things to come. Sometimes our tests and our trials are not so much about us in the moment but about something bigger we can not see.
Moriah is the land of Jerusaleam. Years later Jesus would step on the scene and this is the same city in which he died on the cross. Same mountainous region that God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
Everything in this story is a complete typological reflection of what Jesus would do. Jesus carried his own wood up the same mountain. Instead of God sparing His only son of promise, God the Father let the knife fall and His son was killed. The fire is our punishment.. Jesus bore hell on our behalf. Do you see the connections?
When you face your mount Moriah, your famine, your test, know that Jesus walked that same path. He completely understands. You can choose to have uncommon faith. You can choose to trust even when you don't feel like it.
Even when you don't see it, God is faithful. He will fulfill all His promises in Christ. He will deliver and set us free.
Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher