Application
Guide: “A Long Walk with Father” (Gen. 22; Heb. 11:17-19)
July 24th,
2005: Jim Nossett, an elder of College Park
Church, narrated the story of God’s call to Abraham to take Isaac and offer him
as a sacrifice. In light of our current theme, “Camping on the Promises of
God,” Jim prefaced the sermon with an overview of God’s interaction with
Abraham (cf. Gen. 12-22), to show how the test at Moriah was a test to see if
Abraham truly believed God would hold true and faithful to his promises. Its conclusion
revealed a proof of the goodness of God and Abraham’s trust in God’s past
faithfulness. In light of our present day, Jim provided several applications
from the story for us:
- All of
God’s children are called to great trial.
- What are some trials you have gone through – or
are going through now – that have been a test of your faith in the
promises of God?
- How have trials in your life caused you to
question your belief in the person and nature of God? Is it really a
question of the nature of God or of your own faith? What have trials in
your revealed about your heart?
- When
tried, instead of looking for explanations, we have to focus on God’s
promises.
- What biblical explanations are there for trials in
a Christian’s life? Is it helpful to keep these in mind when going
through trial?
- What promises should we remember as we go through
trials? What practical ways can we keep them in mind?
- When we
are tried, we need to look at God’s past faithfulness.
- Looking back into the past, what are some particular
situations you recall God showing his faithfulness to you? How are you
keeping track of God’s faithfulness to you, how he answers prayer, the
ways he is working all things for good?
- In what areas do you take God’s faithfulness for
granted? How can we be consciously thankful for his faithfulness in even
the “mundane” aspects of life?
- When we
are tried, we must look for resurrection power (cf. Eph 1:19-20)
- What is “resurrection power”? What does it mean
that we have it available to us? What is it to be used for? What does
“resurrection power” have to do with trials/tests? Why is it connected
with faith/hope (cf. Heb 11:17-19; Eph 1:15-23)?
- When we
are called to give something up, it is a call to worship
- When have you had to give something up for the
sake of Christ, so you could treasure him more and better serve him (cf.
Rom 12:1-2; Heb 12:1-3)?
- What things in your life are apt to become an idol
and remove the central place God ought to have? How do you need to
redirect their place in your life if you are going to be wholeheartedly
devoted to God (cf. James 4:1-4)?
- Listen
– the bushes are rustling!
- What does it mean for us that God is “Jehovah
Jireh” (the Lord will provide)?
- How does this scene foreshadow what Christ did for
us on the cross?