Bible Text: Gene\u00adsis 22:1\u201318 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | For deca\u00addes Abra\u00adham wai\u00adted for the pro\u00admi\u00adsed son and when he final\u00adly came, he was to sacri\u00adfice him on a moun\u00adtain. Isaac\u2019s sacri\u00adfice taught Abra\u00adham to love God more than his son. It is also our pro\u00adblem that ful\u00adfil\u00adled dreams like to ele\u00adva\u00adte them\u00adsel\u00adves to idols. That is why we must always put them on the altar. Only tho\u00adse things can safe\u00adly remain part of our lives that real\u00adly no lon\u00adger hold an idol function.\u2026<\/p>\n
Exact\u00adly twen\u00adty years ago, I was wri\u00adting the final the\u00adsis of my theo\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal edu\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon. I could hard\u00adly wait to final\u00adly emu\u00adla\u00adte my high ide\u00adals in a con\u00adgre\u00adga\u00adti\u00adon. I wan\u00adted to be suc\u00adcessful! Many of my dreams came true in the form of the dyna\u00admic and fast-gro\u00adwing youth move\u00adment JMS<\/span>. Suc\u00adcess made me hap\u00adpy, I felt loved and valuable. One day someone had a pro\u00adphe\u00adtic impres\u00adsi\u00adon. It was about the sto\u00adry from 1 Kings 3:1ff of the two women who each had a child. One woman pul\u00adled her child so clo\u00adse to her at night that she smo\u00adthe\u00adred it. I quick\u00adly rea\u00adli\u00adsed that God was spea\u00adking to me through this image. JMS<\/span> was my child and took too high a prio\u00adri\u00adty in my life. I defi\u00adned mys\u00adelf by the hap\u00adpi\u00adness, suc\u00adcess and power that JMS<\/span> brought me and increased my self-worth with it. \tWhy did God com\u00admand Abra\u00adham to sacri\u00adfice his only son? Why could this also be an expres\u00adsi\u00adon of God\u2019s grace? Bible Text: Gene\u00adsis 22:1\u201318 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | For deca\u00addes Abra\u00adham wai\u00adted for the pro\u00admi\u00adsed son and when he final\u00adly came, he was to sacri\u00adfice him on a moun\u00adtain. Isaac\u2019s sacri\u00adfice taught Abra\u00adham to love God more than his son. It is also our pro\u00adblem that ful\u00adfil\u00adled dreams like to\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[53],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-willkommen-daheim","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-2105","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nMost peo\u00adp\u00adle live for their dreams, ever\u00ady\u00adthing is for the pur\u00adsu\u00adit of hap\u00adpi\u00adness. We toil inex\u00adhaus\u00adti\u00adbly and are pre\u00adpared to sacri\u00adfice much in order to achie\u00adve our goals. But no one would think that rea\u00adching the big goal is the worst thing that can hap\u00adpen to us. Why does it so often have nega\u00adti\u00adve con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces when a dream comes true? Paul knows the phe\u00adno\u00adme\u00adnon. He wri\u00adtes to the Roman church, \u00abThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre God deli\u00adver\u00aded them up to their desi\u00adres\u00bb (Romans 1:24 GN<\/span>), and explains that this is one of the worst things that can hap\u00adpen to a per\u00adson. The pro\u00adblem is, after all, that the ful\u00adfil\u00adled dream likes to beco\u00adme an idol. The most desi\u00adred things are the most dan\u00adge\u00adrous. In the next sen\u00adtence Paul sum\u00adma\u00adri\u00adses the histo\u00adry of man\u00adkind: \u00abThey exch\u00adan\u00adged the true God for a tis\u00adsue of lies, they hono\u00adu\u00adred and wor\u00adship\u00adped the crea\u00adtures ins\u00adtead of the Crea\u00adtor\u00bb (Romans 1:25 GN<\/span>). Every human being needs some\u00adthing to live for, some\u00adthing that fills his thoughts, moti\u00adva\u00adtes him and gives him hope. Tho\u00adse who expect hap\u00adpi\u00adness from self-crea\u00adted beings will be dis\u00adap\u00adpoin\u00adted. Only the Crea\u00adtor can tru\u00adly fill us.
\nWel\u00adco\u00adme home! Tho\u00adse who have made them\u00adsel\u00adves com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly at home with God have Christ as the cent\u00adre of their life and ever\u00ady\u00adthing else must be sub\u00ador\u00addi\u00adna\u00adted to it.
\nFul\u00adfilm\u00adent of gre\u00adat wishes
\nA very important per\u00adson in the Bible is Abra\u00adham. Like many peo\u00adp\u00adle of his time, he lon\u00adged to have a son who would car\u00adry on his name and inhe\u00adrit his pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons. For Abra\u00adham, this lon\u00adging grew into the grea\u00adtest desi\u00adre over the cour\u00adse of many child\u00adless years. Final\u00adly, when he had alre\u00ada\u00addy given up all hope, his wife had the son he had lon\u00adged for. All his dreams had thus been ful\u00adfil\u00adled. But then God asked him to let him go again.
\nOn his life\u2019s jour\u00adney, he expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced two gre\u00adat chal\u00adlenges: God gave him a gre\u00adat pro\u00admi\u00adse. If he would faithful\u00adly obey God, all the nati\u00adons of the earth could be bles\u00adsed through him and his des\u00adcen\u00addants. In order for this pro\u00admi\u00adse to be ful\u00adfil\u00adled, God asked him to lea\u00adve behind ever\u00ady\u00adthing fami\u00adli\u00adar \u2013 his fri\u00adends and rela\u00adti\u00adves and ever\u00ady\u00adthing that had hither\u00adto gua\u00adran\u00adteed him secu\u00adri\u00adty, pro\u00adspe\u00adri\u00adty and peace. He was con\u00adfron\u00adted with the chall\u00adenge of giving up ever\u00ady\u00adthing he had hoped for up to that point and ever\u00ady\u00adthing that had see\u00admed desi\u00adra\u00adble to him up to that point, out of obe\u00addience to God.
\nAnd Abra\u00adham took this step: \u00abHe set out \u2026 and left his home\u00adland, not kno\u00adwing whe\u00adre he was going\u00bb (Hebrews 11:8 GN<\/span>). But God had not only taken away his pre\u00advious desti\u00adna\u00adti\u00adons, he also gave him a new hope. All the peo\u00adp\u00adles of the earth were to be bles\u00adsed through his des\u00adcen\u00addants (Gene\u00adsis 12:3). Con\u00adse\u00adquent\u00adly, he could assu\u00adme that he would have child\u00adren, alt\u00adhough Sarah \u2013 his wife \u2013 had been bar\u00adren until then. Human\u00adly spea\u00adking, it was not pos\u00adsi\u00adble for the two of them to have child\u00adren. But God had pro\u00admi\u00adsed Abra\u00adham a son.
\nAfter deca\u00addes of wai\u00adting, when Abra\u00adham was over a hundred and Sarah over nine\u00adty (Gene\u00adsis 17:17 and 21:5), the pro\u00admi\u00adsed son was born. They named him Isaac. The deca\u00addes of child\u00adless\u00adness had increased the desi\u00adre for a child imme\u00ada\u00adsur\u00ada\u00adb\u00adly. Never had anyo\u00adne wan\u00adted a child more than Abra\u00adham. He had given up ever\u00ady\u00adthing and was only wai\u00adting for his son. When he was final\u00adly born, Abra\u00adham was able to tri\u00adumph. It had been right to trust God after all. At last he had an heir. The wait had been worth it.
\nClimb the mountain
\nBut now it had to be seen whe\u00adther Abra\u00adham had been more con\u00adcer\u00adned with the son or more con\u00adcer\u00adned with God during the wait. Had he only used God as a means to an end? To whom did Abraham\u2019s heart real\u00adly belong? Had Abra\u00adham lear\u00adned to trust exclu\u00adsi\u00adve\u00adly in God and to love God for his own sake ins\u00adtead of only see\u00adking God\u2019s bles\u00adsings? No, that is exact\u00adly what Abra\u00adham had yet to learn. Ins\u00adtead of a hap\u00adpy peaceful life, the next chall\u00adenge fol\u00adlows: \u00abTake your only son Isaac, whom you love so much, and go with him to the land of Moriah. The\u00adre I will show you a moun\u00adtain whe\u00adre you shall offer Isaac as a burnt offe\u00adring for me\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 22:2).
\nThis was the most dif\u00adfi\u00adcult test ima\u00adgi\u00adnable for Abra\u00adham. Isaac was his ever\u00ady\u00adthing. God knew this, as his choice of words reve\u00adals. He did not sim\u00adply say, \u00abTake Isaac and go with him\u2026\u00bb, but God spo\u00adke of the only son Abra\u00adham loved so dear\u00adly. Abraham\u2019s love for his son had taken the form of rever\u00adence, of wor\u00adship. Ear\u00adlier, God\u2019s spea\u00adking had been most important to Abra\u00adham. But now the con\u00adcern for his son\u2019s wel\u00adfa\u00adre and the lon\u00adging for his love and affec\u00adtion had come first. His prio\u00adri\u00adties had shifted. It is not wrong for a father to love his son, but the bel\u00adoved son must not beco\u00adme an idol. He who loves his child more than God will crush the child and suf\u00adfo\u00adca\u00adte the rela\u00adti\u00adonship. Abra\u00adham did not love Isaac too much, but he loved God too litt\u00adle, mea\u00adsu\u00adred by the love for Isaac.
\nWhen my prio\u00adri\u00adties shifted and I was about to crush JMS<\/span>, I also had to climb a moun\u00adtain and sacri\u00adfice my \u00abIsaac\u00bb. This climb was real\u00adly chal\u00adlen\u00adging and gave me slee\u00adp\u00adless nights. Tog\u00ade\u00adther with the lea\u00adders of the mem\u00adber churches, we lis\u00adten\u00aded to God for his opi\u00adni\u00adon on the future of JMS<\/span>. I wai\u00adted in vain for a goat to sacri\u00adfice as a sub\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adte. I had to let go and obey God\u2019s sayings that JMS<\/span> should not con\u00adti\u00adnue in its pre\u00adsent form. This expe\u00adri\u00adence was important for my growth. Nevert\u00adhel\u00adess, I am always in dan\u00adger of crus\u00adhing \u00abmy\u00bb children.
\nRefi\u00adned gold
\nAbra\u00adham trus\u00adted God. He said to his ser\u00advants: \u00abThe boy and I will go a litt\u00adle fur\u00adther. We will wor\u00adship God up the\u00adre and then come back to you\u00bb (5). When the unsu\u00adspec\u00adting Isaac inqui\u00adred about the lamb for the sacri\u00adfice, he got the ans\u00adwer: \u00abGod will pro\u00advi\u00adde a lamb, my son\u00bb (8). How this was to hap\u00adpen, he did not know. But he was abso\u00adlut\u00ade\u00adly sure that he was ser\u00adving a holy and gra\u00adcious God. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, he was able to put one foot in front of the other and climb that moun\u00adtain. Once at the top, Abra\u00adham built an altar, piled up the logs, pla\u00adced the bound Isaac on the woo\u00adden pile and rea\u00adched for the kni\u00adfe. \u00abAt that moment the angel of the Lord cal\u00adled him from hea\u00adven: \u00abAbra\u00adham! Abra\u00adham!\u00bb \u00abYes,\u00bb he ans\u00adwe\u00adred. \u00abI hear.\u00bb \u00abLet it be,\u00bb said the angel. \u00abDo not harm the child. For now I know that you have rever\u00adence for God. You would even have sacri\u00adfi\u00adced your only son at my com\u00admand\u00bb \u00bb (11\u201312).
\nIsaac\u2019s sacri\u00adfice was to teach Abra\u00adham to love God more than his son. At the end of the sto\u00adry, the angel of the Lord says: \u00abNow I have known that you fear God!\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 22:12 Elb). Fea\u00adring God in bibli\u00adcal par\u00adlan\u00adce has not\u00adhing to do with fear, but rather descri\u00adbes a com\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adve sur\u00adren\u00adder to God. It is about a loving and joyful awe and won\u00adder in the face of God\u2019s great\u00adness. Abra\u00adham pro\u00adved that he loved God more than any\u00adthing else in the world \u2013 that is fear of God. As long as Abra\u00adham had not been forced to choo\u00adse bet\u00adween God and his son, it pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly had not occur\u00adred to him that his love for his father had gra\u00addu\u00adal\u00adly beco\u00adme ido\u00adla\u00adtry. From this point of view, God\u2019s action with Abra\u00adham was a gra\u00adcious act, even if it appeared as very cruel from the out\u00adside. Abra\u00adham beca\u00adme a man of significance.
\nBy clim\u00adbing the moun\u00adtain, Abraham\u2019s faith was puri\u00adfied. Job also had to go through immense dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties for a long time wit\u00adhout get\u00adting a satis\u00adfac\u00adto\u00adry ans\u00adwer from God. Like Abra\u00adham, he had to trust wit\u00adhout under\u00adstan\u00adding. Only at the very end could Job excla\u00adim: \u00abFor he knows the way that is with me. If he tes\u00adted me, I would come forth like gold\u00bb (Job 23:10 Elb). The puri\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon of Abra\u00adham was just as gre\u00adat an advan\u00adta\u00adge for Isaac. Only after his expe\u00adri\u00adence on the moun\u00adtain was Abra\u00adham able to love his son in the right way. Only tho\u00adse things can safe\u00adly remain part of our lives that real\u00adly no lon\u00adger hold an idol func\u00adtion. Only when we are rea\u00addy to con\u00adti\u00adnue living wit\u00adhout the\u00adse things or per\u00adsons, when we say with all our heart: \u00abGod, I can live wit\u00adhout this as long as I only have you\u00bb, only then have we topp\u00adled the idol from its throne.
\nIt can be simi\u00adlar with our care\u00ader, for exam\u00adp\u00adle. Only when we get into a situa\u00adti\u00adon whe\u00adre we have to deci\u00adde whe\u00adther to be honest, even if this brings pro\u00adfes\u00adsio\u00adnal dis\u00adad\u00advan\u00adta\u00adges, does it beco\u00adme clear what our prio\u00adri\u00adty is. If we would rather lie than harm our pro\u00adfes\u00adsio\u00adnal advance\u00adment, then work has beco\u00adme an idol in our hearts. For many, health has beco\u00adme \u00abIsaac\u00bb. For our bene\u00adfit, God can then allow an ill\u00adness that chal\u00adlenges us to put God first again.
\nWe have to sacri\u00adfice the \u00abIsaaks\u00bb in our lives. We have to let them go in order not to be ens\u00adlaved by them. The Bible is full of sto\u00adries of men like Joseph, David and Moses, who time and again appeared as if God had aban\u00addo\u00adned them, when in rea\u00adli\u00adty he was in the pro\u00adcess of free\u00ading them from their idols. We will not always be able to under\u00adstand why the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father allows some dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties in our lives, but we can trust him in the hard times.
\n
\nUlti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly, we can only under\u00adstand the scope of this divi\u00adne com\u00admand if we look at the cul\u00adtu\u00adral cir\u00adcum\u00ads\u00adtances of the time. Again and again in the Bible we find the state\u00adment that the sin of the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel rob\u00adbed the first\u00adborn of their lives. At that time, the first\u00adborn was syn\u00adony\u00admous with the who\u00adle fami\u00adly. Through Moses, God had told the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel that the life of all the first\u00adborn belon\u00adged to him as long as they were not rede\u00ade\u00admed (Ex 34:20). With this he said in a vivid way for the thin\u00adking of that time that every fami\u00adly is in God\u2019s debt \u2013 also the fami\u00adly of Abra\u00adham. Isaac must pay with his life for the sin of the who\u00adle clan. But God is also mer\u00adciful. Through Isaac he wants to bless all the nati\u00adons of the earth. How can God be holy and just at the same time and still ful\u00adfil his gra\u00adcious pro\u00admi\u00adse and offer sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon to all peo\u00adp\u00adle? The sub\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adtio\u00adna\u00adry goat was a pro\u00advi\u00adsio\u00adnal ans\u00adwer. Many years later, in this very moun\u00adtain coun\u00adtry, ano\u00adther first\u00adborn was sacri\u00adfi\u00adced. At that time, no voice sound\u00aded from hea\u00adven offe\u00adring a sub\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adte. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, is the true sub\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adte for Abraham\u2019s son. \u00abGod did not even spa\u00adre his own Son, but gave him for us all. And if God gave us Christ, will he not with him also give us ever\u00ady\u00adthing else?\u00bb (Romans 8:32).
\nWe need to sacri\u00adfice our idols, our \u00abIsaacs\u00bb in our lives, to let them go in order not to be ens\u00adlaved by them. To do this, we need the deep know\u00adledge that God loves us, values us and delights in us. When we sen\u00adse the impli\u00adca\u00adti\u00adons of this sacri\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal death, it will beco\u00adme pos\u00adsi\u00adble for us to trust this God more than any\u00adthing else on earth. Wel\u00adco\u00adme home!
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRea\u00adding the Bible text: Gene\u00adsis 22:1\u201318<\/p>\n
\n\tHave you also had to \u00abclimb the moun\u00adtain\u00bb to sacri\u00adfice an \u00abIsaac\u00bb? What was this Isaac with you?
\n\tWhat keeps pushing into the cent\u00adre of your life (work, health, cer\u00adtain peo\u00adp\u00adle) that you hope will bring you hap\u00adpi\u00adness, suc\u00adcess or power?
\n\tWhy is it so important that God is the undis\u00adpu\u00adted cent\u00adre of your life? What does this mean for the other are\u00adas of your life?
\n\tHow do you per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly feel about the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing state\u00adment: \u00abGod, I can live wit\u00adhout this as long as I have only you!\u00bb<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"