Title: Rethink Your Faith
Contents
rethink your faith
Genesis 22:6-14
June 19, 2011 Missionary Sunday Sermon
6 Abraham laid the wood for the burnt offering on his son Isaac, and he took fire and a sword, and the two walked together. 7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, He said, "Father!" And Abraham said, "Son, why are you doing this?" and answered. Isaac asked. "The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8 Abraham answered. "Son, God will provide the lamb for a burnt offering." The two walked together. 9 When they arrived at the place God had spoken of, Abraham built an altar there, and laid firewood on the altar. Then I tied up my son Isaac and put it on the firewood of the altar.
10 With a sword in his hand, he tried to seize the son. 11 At that time the angel of the Lord said from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!" and called him. Abraham answered. "Yes, here it is." 12 said the angel. "Do not touch him! Do not do anything to him! I now know that you fear God, for you do not withhold your son, even your only son, from me." 13 Abraham lifted his head and looked and saw a ram in the bushes, with its horns hanging from the bushes. He went and slaughtered the ram and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 Because of this, Abraham named the place Jehovah-jireh. Even to this day people say that 'it will be prepared on the mountain of the Lord'.
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There are many explanations about what true faith is, but Kierkegaard's teaching that enlightened us about the existence of the Bible was one of the greatest reverberations of modern people. In order to describe the true believer expressed as “one who stands before God”, it refers to the three steps leading to this life. It is called 1. aesthetic existence, 2. ethical existence, and 3. religious existence.
The first stage, the stage of aesthetic existence, is the stage of following one's desires. It is a life that follows human nature to enjoy to the fullest. It is a life that enjoys the greatest satisfaction in the shortest period of time, and as soon as satisfaction comes, the feeling of emptiness comes quickly. Desperate for this feeling of emptiness, we move on to the second stage, which is ethical existence. You will find meaning in the life you lived according to your desires and pursue moral fulfillment. This is the stage where rational judgment is valued. If living according to the heart's desire for love is the first stage of aesthetic existence, the second ethical existence is like marriage. Marriage is maintained through morals and ethics, as opposed to living according to instinctive desires.
Time magazine made a feature on the sexual aberrations of celebrities a few weeks ago, from Strauss Khan, who, while serving as the president of the IMF, who is dubbed the world's president, was arrested wretchedly handcuffed at an airfield for allegedly molesting a hotel janitor in Manhattan, New York. Ex-President Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods, and many other celebrities were introduced to the fact that they could not control their primary desires and suffered misery. It shows that an ethical life is not easy, and many modern people sympathize with how precious the value of an ethical life is. However, there are some people who view ethical life and faith as the same thing, and others see faith as a tool for ethical living, but ethical life and religious life are two different things. When Jesus said that everyone who commits fornication in their heart is fornication, but when he said that you should sell everything you have and follow me, it is not that you ignore the ethical life, but that you cannot enter the path of truth if you are caught up in this ethical life alone. That's what you did. So we have to enter the next stage, religious existence, and this stage is to enter the divine world that transcends morality and ethics.
This is a step that we enter through a clear decision, and it is a step in which we have to give up all our rational judgments and even ethical habits. The best example of this kind of life is the scene where Abraham sacrificed his son Isaac in the text. Abraham did not follow his own moral judgment, but obeyed God's command, even though it was not ethical at all to ask a father to sacrifice his son. Also, Isaac was a clear proof of God's promises when he was 100 years old. At the age of 75, Isaac was the guarantee of seeing many descendants in the future that God had promised. When we can completely give up even these religious beliefs, we can stand before God as believers. This, says Kierkegaard, is achieved through a decision of “Fear & Trembling”. This means that through the fear of a father going up to the mountain with his son carrying firewood, and the thrill of a father tying up his son and raising his sword, he will receive the blessing of “Jehovah Jireh,” who God prepares and takes over everything.
That's right. The Bible certainly invites us into a world of faith that transcends ethics and morals. The Bible invites us to the third stage of religious existence, and we cannot remain at the stage where we do not reach the second stage of ethical life, nor do we overcome our primary desires and emotions. We need to raise our level of faith. We must make a decision before God and entrust our lives to God's grace. At this time, God takes responsibility for our entire existence. He embraces and takes responsibility for your body, mind, soul, and life both today and in the future.
It is never a matter of long or short years of life of faith. It's a matter of decision. Through faith to follow the word of God in the midst of fear and trembling, today we will enjoy the true blessing of “Jehovah Jireh”. Where is our faith?
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