Let Go, Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. We're afraid of risk. But the funny thing is, that's what faith is. Risk. You see, I have put all of my eggs in Christ's basket. Everything at stake in my life, the reason to be alive today, my view of eternity, everything is in Christ by faith.

It's risky. Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt. Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's Word meets our world. Look at verse 17 of Hebrews 11. By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, you see, even the writer of Hebrews knows this is a test.

When he was tested with the great let go test. By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. And he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son. For it was he to whom it was said, in Isaac, your descendants shall be called. And then this reason, he considered, he reckoned, he believed, he trusted that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. What did Abraham believe? Even if I take his life, we can go back to Genesis, even if I take his life, God will raise him from the dead because God told me he's the child of promise.

What does it take to do that? Tremendous faith. Tremendous faith. His only begotten. Willing to give up his only begotten. It sounds just like the father, doesn't it? Willing to give up his only begotten.

Willing to sacrifice him. Oh, by the way, on the same hills, in the same place. Moriah, the hills around Jerusalem. The same.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was the very place. Why? Because the writer of Hebrews says it's a type. You see, God was willing to do that. Abraham didn't have the same kind of consternation you and I would have had. And the reason is, he had an A from the beginning. Because this test, the let go test, is always the same. Do you trust me?

And Abraham is emphatically, yes. How much will you let go of? He says the best I have. Everything.

My son. You see, we read the story from a completely different perspective. This is the triumphant story. This isn't a story that's filled with all the fear and trepidation that we read into it because Abraham wasn't feeling that. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and he laid it on Isaac, his son, probably because he was much stronger. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife.

And so the two of them walked together. There's two perspectives I'd like to see this from, actually three. One is the perspective of Abraham. I will trust God. But if the writer of Hebrews is correct, and he is, Abraham believes that he is going to slit the throat of his own son. And that God would raise him. But just imagine if you were Abraham walking with your son.

What he's thinking. Then there's the point of view of Isaac. Isaac has been with Abraham when they've made offerings before. And as you're going to see in a moment, Isaac's like, well, look, it's all here. We got the wood. We got the knife. There's something missing here. You see, that seems odd. We always have a ram or a goat or we have a sheep. We have something.

Where is it? There's another perspective, though, to look at this. Don't underestimate the feelings of God. How do you think God felt when he watched this man, old man, walk with this young boy? Wow, what kind of faith is this?

This man is walking with his son. I had to believe it's overwhelmingly emotional just for God, and he knows it's a type. It's a picture of what's going to transpire in the future. And Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, and he said, my father. And he said. Here I am, my son. His now normal response when someone asked him something.

Here I am. He says, and he said, behold, the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for the burnt offering? I don't know about you, but no matter how you feel, how do you hold back your emotions at that moment?

How do you maintain self-control in that moment? And Abraham said, God will provide for himself. The lamb for the burnt offering, my son. And so the two of them walked on together.

Step by step, up the hill. And they came to the place which God had told them. And Abraham built the altar there, and he arranged the wood. And then he said, put your hands together, my son.

Let me tie them. Wow. And he bombed his son, Isaac. And he laid him on the altar on top of the wood. Abraham's a hero in this story. But so is Isaac. How much did he love his father? How much did he trust his father? I mean, you're 16 years old, your father's 116 or whatever it is, and you're thinking maybe dementia.

Maybe he's just old. Not a word. Not a point of clarification. Why is that? Because Isaac represents who? Jesus Christ. Your will be done. You see, he climbs on there.

No problem at all. He probably had the power to overpower his father. He doesn't.

He just climbs up on there. If that's what the father asked of me, then I will be the sacrifice. God watching all of this. Abraham stretched out his hand, took the knife to slay his son. For this is as far as you can go with this.

Any time this could have stopped. You see, the imagery there is not for God. God's omniscient. God knew how this was going to turn out. We also know that it's not necessarily only for Abraham.

Because Abraham already trusted God would raise him from the dead. I believe that the imagery to this point when the knife comes out right over his son is for you and me. That's how far faith will go. You see, that's how far faith will go.

And that's exactly what happens. I couldn't imagine it. One commentator said when he put him up there on that altar, he must have felt like he was turning down the sheets of his son's deathbed.

Just putting him up there. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. I've got to believe this is, I think this was a very energetic response.

Here I am. I'm sure that he just couldn't wait to respond that way. Do not stretch out your hand against the lad. Do nothing to him.

Let me know, for I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. Wow. A plus.

A plus. On the let go test. There was a lot of things that Abraham loved, but I don't think there was anything that compared to Isaac. And he was willing to let go.

He was willing to let go. And then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up as a burnt offering in the place of his son. I love verse 14, and Abraham called the place Yahweh Yireh. Yahweh Yireh. The Lord will provide. The Lord will provide. Actually, literally, it says the Lord will see to this. The Lord will see to this. And what's so great about it is Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide, and it is said to this day, Moses writes, in the mount of the Lord it will be provided.

All the Jewish people remembered this forever. We should remember this forever. You see, whenever you're facing a let go test, the Lord will see to this. That's so important for us. I mean, the number of let go tests are innumerable, but there are several.

Just a couple to mention. Your son or daughter is being deployed. Afghanistan or back to Iraq or wherever. The Lord will see to this. You see, that's a let go test. You see, that's the way something like this works. You see it over and over again.

You get a call that the doctor wants to talk about your diagnosis. The Lord will see to this. You see, that's the way it works.

The Lord will see to this. He's never going to ask you to have a let go test where he isn't there to say, and if you trust me, I have a provision. You see, that's the way this works. Sometimes, by the way, it's truly a test that you're actively involved in.

Sometimes it's a test you're not even aware of until it goes on and on. Think of Job. What did he have to let go of? He let go of his wealth. He let go of his servants. He let go of all 10 of his children. He let go of the respect of the community. He let go of the respect of his wife. He let go of his health.

That's a lot. And his response? Even if he slays me, I will trust him. No wonder God said there's not a man on earth like Job. You see, and as difficult as what Job went through, I'm not sure that what Abraham went through isn't even more difficult. Because he's asking you not only to let go of your son, but to be the hand that causes your son to be let go of. You see, God is saying, look, the Lord will see to this.

There are countless possibilities. Obviously, from our point of view, we are to follow Abraham's example. Also, we're not to presume to tell the Lord what to do when we're given a test like this.

We're notorious for this. Well, Lord, I know you want to let me let it go, but here's what I want. Here's what I want to do.

I can't tell you how many different versions I've heard of us throwing out our fleece. Well, Lord, are you sure you really want me to do that, so give me a sign over and over again. And don't waste time guessing how God will accomplish his will.

Don't waste time. Look, I spent some time, and when Velma and I left Pennsylvania and went to San Ray to serve the Lord, I had a real clear idea of exactly how God was going to handle this. I'm going back to the Northeast. I knew that was what God wanted. You see? I assumed something. Don't assume anything.

And by the way, I was so thick-headed about it that after I was here for a few years, I put out my resume and began to be interviewed in churches in Michigan and Ohio because if you can't get in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio are close. And here I am. Don't presume on God.

And by the way, so grateful. You see, that's what God does. Oh, but I had to give up relationships, and God put me in amazing relationships.

I gave up a vacation, and now I have a vacation that seems like a vacation on certain days. But the point is, you don't give up. Drop those nets, and I'll make you fishers of men. He says to his disciples, don't tell me what you gave up for me that I haven't given back to you. Don't tell me what you let go of. Simply trust the Lord. Three timeless truths, I think, from this passage. Number one, what we cling to is usually what God asks us to release. What we cling to is usually what God will ask us to release. It might be your possessions. It might be your vocation.

It might be your dreams. It might be a special relationship. Usually what we're clinging to. What we cling to is usually what God asks us to release. Number two, what we release, God often allows us to keep.

Not always, but what we release, God often allows us to keep. You see, what's the whole problem that we run into? The whole problem that we run into is we're afraid of risk. You see, we're afraid of risk. But the funny thing is that's what faith is, risk. You see, I have put all of my eggs in Christ's basket.

Everything at stake in my life, the reason to be alive today, my view of eternity, everything is in Christ by faith. It's risky. When he told the disciples to stop being fishermen and you're going to walk around Judea with me, risky. When the young man that went to the mission field went to the mission field, it's risky. Faith and risk go together. Some of us are people that in our flesh are so afraid of risks. I love the little book called God But I'm Bored by Eileen Gooder.

I love the book. This is what she writes about people that like to play it safe. She says, you can live on bland food so as to avoid an ulcer. You can drink no tea or coffee or any other stimulant in the name of health. You can go to bed early and stay away from the nightlife. You can avoid all controversial subjects so that you never give an offense to anybody. You can mind your own business and avoid all involvement and other people's problems.

And you can spend money only on the barest necessities and save all you can. And yet, you can still break your neck in your bathtub and you deserve it. We can't play it safe. We just can't. That's one option we don't have as a Christian. Our faith makes us people of risk. So what we cling to is usually what God asks us to release. What we release God often allows us to keep.

And the last point is this. When we release what we're clinging to, God reassures us. When we release what we're clinging to, God reassures us.

Notice as the story goes on. Verse 15, then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and he said, By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son. Indeed, I will greatly bless you. I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your seed shall possess the gate, he says, of their enemies. And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice. What is that reassurance? It's the Abrahamic covenant.

He gets it again. God reassures him because he passed the let go test. Now we don't have the Abrahamic covenant given to us, but we are recipients of it, but there's something else God has said to all his children that is important for us to believe, to reassure us. And it's the last verse I want to look at, Jeremiah 29, verse 11. For I know the plans that I have for you. Just a very important passage to look at, very important. If you struggle in your life, read it daily.

Get up in the morning and read it. For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. That's what God says. Look, I have plans for you.

I'm going to give you a future. God wants you and me to hold things and dreams and people loosely and to help us in that pursuit, he uses tests. These tests will test your obedience and your commitment to God. And whenever you do what Abraham did, you pass the let go test, you are blessed.

God is glorified. Thank God for the let go test of your life. Let's pray. Father, I pray for those in the body this very morning who may be facing a let go test right now.

That there's either a job or a relationship or some other issue that they may have to let go of as they trust you. I pray that the story of Abraham is an encouragement to them and a model for them in which to act. Father, for the rest of us, we've had let go tests in the past and we have probably passed some and failed others. But I pray, Father, as we face those future tests, when you want to test our heart and our commitment to you, that we remember this story in such a way that we willingly will let go because we totally trust you. We pray this in the name of our Savior, the great Lover of our souls, Jesus Christ.

Amen. You've been listening to Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the Radio Ministry of Fellowship in the Word. If you ever miss one of our broadcasts or maybe you would just like to listen to the message one more time, remember that you can go to a great website called OnePlace.com. That's OnePlace.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online.

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