Is anything off limits?

Hey everybody…
 
Is there anything you absolutely would NOT give to God? Is there any part of you--if you were to be truly honest—that is off limits to Him? Oh… and how about this: Is there anything that should be off limits? Would it surprise you to hear me say, yes, there might be at least one thing? Whaaaa…? Yep. Let’s talk in Deeper Thoughts below….
 
But first… some quick updates:
                                                                                                                 
·      Last call to gather school supplies through Tree of Life Ministries for students who may not otherwise be able to purchase needed supplies for the start of the school year. Click here for a list of what’s needed; bring your donated items to the collection table in the BROWN room at church by THIS Sunday, August 10!
 
·      Teens: Youth Group THIS Sunday, 11:30 – 1:00… snacks, fun, connection, and a great testimony! To get plugged into our growing and awesome youth group, email Jessica Sauder: [email protected].
 
·      Mt Hope’s biggest day in nearly 200 years is coming up!!! Join us for Mt. Hope’s 190th Anniversary celebration on Sunday, August 24, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.– a great day of worship, fellowship, southern pot-luck yummies, historical experiences, and gratitude to our God for all He has done through Mt. Hope for nearly two centuries. Click here to sign up for your potluck dish!
 
·      Men: Our “next up” get together: Cookout and hang out at Gordon Albert’s house--Saturday, August 30, 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. Plan to bring some stuff to grill… details and RSVP to come. Click here to email Gordon, or text him at 703-628-1870!
 
·      Join me for “The Daily Six” – six minutes each morning in the Word of God, Monday through Friday, on our YouTube channel. If you’d like to receive daily email reminders and you’re not already getting them, click here to sign up!
 
OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and you who don’t plan to give God anything anyway… BUT…
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts…
 
Can we level-set on something?
 
Christians very rightly talk about making Jesus Christ “Lord of their life,” and that we should hold nothing back from God. Yes. A thousand times, yes. This is biblical. This is good. This is the whole aim of the Christian life—to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength—not just some—and to leave nothing barred off from Him.
 
But what about when God asks for something irrational?
 
What about when we think we hear God asking us for something that is simply too hard to pull off? What if it’s something that seems impossible given our circumstances? Or what if it’s something we don’t agree with God about—something where we think His Word is outdated and fuddy-duddy?
 
Is there anything that is OK to tell God, “No thanks, Big Guy. Can’t do that one”?
 
I can think of one. If God told you to do this, I’d say run the other way. Fast. Nope. Can’t do it. Not rational. Not godly. Can’t be good. No way. I’m out.
 
Here it is: If God told you to kill your kid… don’t.
 
Duh, right? I mean, there’s nothing biblical, godly, holy, righteous, or good whatsoever about the idea of whacking your kid (though I imagine there have been moments of temptation from time to time). You’ve got the Ten Commandments to back you up, right… like God’s Ten Commandments? “Do not murder” sounds a tad familiar, does it not?
 
So why in the world did God ask this very thing of Abraham? And what in the world are we supposed to do with this? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’ve probably not been watching The Daily Six this week—or at least you’re running behind. (Click here to catch up… highly recommended!)
 
We spent yesterday and today on The Daily Six looking at Genesis 22, where God spoke to Abraham about his child of promise—the one he had been waiting for 25 years for God to fulfill—and God told him to kill him.
 
“Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about’” (Genesis 22:2).
 
If you came to my office to tell me you’d heard from God to execute your child, I would first tell you in no uncertain terms God did not speak this to you. Then I would immediately call the police. I would be on solid ground with this pastoral advice; there are a TON of biblical commands from the Lord that thoroughly and unequivocally condemn child sacrifice. If you need to check me on this, try Leviticus 18:21, 20:3; Deuteronomy 12:30-31 and 18:10 to start. Jeremiah 7:31 says it pretty clearly, God speaking: “…to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.”
 
So why in the world would God ask Abraham to do something that He so clearly abhors?
 
“And why in the world are we talking about this, Pastor Chris? This is pretty sick.”
 
Agreed.
 
Friends, the text of Genesis 22 is unquestionably one of the most complicated and troubling theological problems in the entire Bible. If you read all the way through it, you might be able to tenuously tolerate the story by reading it with the end of it in mind—God actually did not intend for Abraham to carry all the way through with the sacrifice. He would supply a “ram in the thicket” to be the alternate sacrifice (Genesis 22:13). Perhaps you’ve sat under a pastor who has taught this text with a bit of an “all’s well that ends well” approach, suggesting that the end of the story soothes the beginning of it for us.
 
I’d like to not be that pastor who breezes past the obvious emotional trouble the text creates for us. While we can read it with the end of the story in mind, Abraham could not—at least not while the events unfolded. To Abraham, this was an awful moment of struggling with who God is and what he must do in surrender to Him.
 
This Sunday, let’s unpack this tremendously difficult chapter in the Bible with raw honesty—to study this from both God and Abraham’s perspectives. And maybe more importantly, to ask ourselves what any of this means for you and me.
 
Two six-minute episodes of The Daily Six are far too insufficient to adequately wrestle with this text. Let’s dig into it more in-depth on Sunday. If you want to do a little more prep, read through all of Genesis 22 and Hebrews 11:17-19 in advance. God is indeed revealing some very important things about you, me, and Him. We need the Word of God to speak!
 
You in?
 
Much love to you all… can’t wait to “Sabbath” together with you on Sunday--and figure out who in the world this crazy God of ours really is!!
 
Chris Eads
Mt. Hope Pastor
Friend