Sermon Notes 5/24/2026: Faith Trusts: The Ultimate Test

Faith Trusts: The Ultimate Test

Hebrews 11:17-19

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸ even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” ^r 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. ^[1]

Does God test us?

The answer is yes

How is the testing of God and the temptations of the devil different?

The testing of God will reveal something

The temptations of the devil will lead us to a place of destruction

All of us would prefer a very comfortable life where faith is never tested

But it is through the testing of our faith that it reveals if we truly trust God

Why is trust so important?

Without trust intimacy and fellowship cannot exist

Ultimately God calls us to fellowship and be with Him

It is easy to trust God when every thing makes sense

But how about when it doesn’t make sense?

Or what if it goes against all logic and reason?

Let us not forget that the Lord tells us not to lean on our own understanding but to acknowledge and trust Him in all our ways

1.  God tested Abraham

a.  Genesis 11:17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son^[2]

b.  Who was Isaac?

                                             i.     Isaac is the son of promise

c.   It makes no logical sense why God would ask Abraham to Sacrifice the son of Promise

d.  Let us not forget that Abraham and Sarah tried to fulfill the purposes of God by having Abraham sleep with Hagar

                                             i.     Ishmael was born and it created a whole series of issues

e.   But in their old age Abraham at 100 and Sarah at 90 they would have Isaac

Genesis 22

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

² Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

·     Test: to put to the test in order to ascertain the nature of something, including imperfections, faults, or other qualities.^[3]

·     Moriah would be the same mountain on which the temple would be built

·     It would be the same place that Jesus would be crucified

·     It is important to see that God says to take your son, your only son

·     It is the son of promise

·     This is ultimately a picture of God the Father and Jesus Christ

³ Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. ⁴ On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵ He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

·     Abraham says We will worship and then we will come back to you

·     Hebrews 11:19 ¹⁹ Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.^[4]

·     Even though God calls Abraham to sacrifice his son, he has reasoned in his heart by faith that God can bring him back from the dead

·     We must remember that before this no one had been risen from the dead

⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, ⁷ Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

⁸ Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

·     Abraham is demonstrating true trust in the Living God

·     Just as Isaac carried the wood, the Son of God would carry the wooden cross

·     Just as Abraham carried the knife and walked with his son, God the Father would pour out His wrath upon His Son and walk with Him to the hill of Calvary

⁹ When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

¹² “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

·     There is no hesitation in Abraham

·     He is demonstrating complete trust in God Almighty

·     This testing reveals the faith of Abraham

·     Again it is easy to say we have faith when we are not tested, but testing will always reveal what is below the surface

¹³ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

·     God provided

·     A ram is a mature male Lamb

·     Ultimately this points to Jesus

·     Behold The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world

·     The substitute and ultimate sacrifice for the sins of humanity

¹⁵ The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time ¹⁶ and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, ¹⁸ and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, ⁿ because you have obeyed me.”

·     True faith results in obedience

·     Abraham was able to obey and trust by the grace of God

·     Abraham had previously failed when he told the Egyptians and Abimelek that Sarah was his sister to protect himself

o  He had reacted out of fear

·     But as he walked with God, His faith deepened and God prepared him for this moment

·     The testing of Abraham revealed obedience

o  It revealed if his heart truly belonged to God

¹⁹ Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba. ^[5]

Hebrews 11:18-19

¹⁸ even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” ^r 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. ^[6]

·     Isaac was the son of promise

·     The covenant established between Abraham and God would pass on to Isaac

·     Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead

o  Abraham reasoned in his heart that if God was calling him to sacrifice his son and the promise would come through Isaac, then God would raise him from the dead

·     He did receive Isaac back from the dead

·     Abraham had taken ever step to sacrifice Isaac and it was God who intervened and saved the life of Isaac

The question is do we trust God?

Do we truly trust Him to do everything He says in His word?

As we walk with God there will be victories and there will be failures

But as we abide, by His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit our faith will deepen

Through every test and trial our faith will deepen and strengthen

There is a purpose in the testing and ultimately it reveals if we truly trust the Living God

 Faith Trusts: The Ultimate Test Hebrews 11:17-19

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

Few stories in Scripture stretch the heart like Abraham’s journey to Mount Moriah. After years of barrenness, waiting, and wondering, God finally gave Abraham and Sarah their promised son—Isaac. This child represented everything: the fulfillment of God’s covenant, the hope of a great nation, and the future of redemption. Then, in what seemed like a cruel twist, God tested Abraham with the unthinkable command: “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you” (Genesis 22:2).

This test was not random. God does not test us to destroy us, but to reveal us—to show what our faith is truly made of. The Bible is clear that God tests His people. Deuteronomy 8:2 reminds us that God led Israel through the wilderness for forty years “to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” Testing purifies, refines, and deepens trust.

How is God’s testing different from the devil’s temptation? Temptation entices us toward sin and leads to destruction (James 1:13-15). It appeals to our flesh and pulls us away from God. Testing, however, comes from a loving Father who already knows our hearts but desires to strengthen and display our faith for His glory and our good. Abraham’s test revealed a faith so deep that it trusted God even when every visible circumstance screamed contradiction.

All of us prefer comfort. We love seasons when prayers are answered quickly, provision flows easily, and God’s will aligns with our desires. But mature faith is forged in the fire of testing. As James 1:2-4 encourages us: “Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Abraham’s obedience did not happen in a vacuum. It was the culmination of a lifetime of walking with God. Earlier in his journey, Abraham faltered. He lied about Sarah being his sister out of fear (Genesis 12 and 20). He and Sarah tried to “help” God by producing Ishmael through Hagar, creating lasting conflict. These failures show us something comforting: God doesn’t wait for perfect faith before He uses us. He grows our faith through relationship, patience, and yes—testing.

When the command came, Abraham’s response was immediate. Early the next morning he saddled the donkey, took two servants and Isaac, and began the journey. For three days they traveled. Imagine the agony in Abraham’s heart as each step brought him closer to the moment of sacrifice. Yet on the third day, when he saw the mountain in the distance, he told his servants, “Stay here… We will worship and then we will come back to you” (Genesis 22:5).

Here is the heartbeat of true faith. Hebrews 11:19 tells us Abraham “reasoned that God could even raise the dead.” This was revolutionary. No one had ever been raised from the dead before. Yet Abraham believed God’s promise was stronger than death itself. He trusted that if necessary, God would resurrect Isaac to fulfill His word: “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned” (Genesis 21:12).

A Beautiful Picture of Christ This story overflows with prophetic meaning. Isaac, the beloved only son, carried the wood for the sacrifice up the mountain—just as Jesus carried His cross to Calvary. Abraham carried the fire and the knife, mirroring how the Father would release His wrath upon His Son for our salvation. The place itself—Moriah—would later become the site of the temple and the crucifixion of Christ. At the last moment, God provided a ram caught in the thicket. Abraham declared, “The Lord Will Provide” (Yahweh Yireh). Centuries later, on that same ridge, God provided the true Lamb—Jesus Christ—who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

When Abraham raised the knife, the angel of the Lord stopped him: “Do not lay a hand on the boy… Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Genesis 22:12). Abraham passed the test. His faith was proven genuine. Because of his obedience, God reaffirmed the covenant with even greater promises: descendants as numerous as the stars and sand, victory over enemies, and blessing to all nations through his offspring (Genesis 22:16-18).

The Question for Us Today Do we trust God like this? When God asks us to surrender something precious— a dream, a relationship, a financial plan, or a future we’ve mapped out—will we obey? When His instructions contradict our logic, emotions, and five-year plans, will we still say, “Here I am”?

Trust is the foundation of intimacy with God. Without trust, prayer becomes shallow, worship mechanical, and fellowship distant. Proverbs 3:5-6 challenges us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Every test has purpose. It reveals whether our faith is declaration only or demonstrated daily. It deepens our dependence on the Holy Spirit. It prepares us for greater assignments. Abraham’s faith grew through decades of waiting, failure, correction, and finally radical obedience. Yours can too.

Perhaps you are currently on your own journey to Moriah. The path feels dark. The cost seems too high. Remember: God is not trying to take from you—He is inviting you into deeper fellowship with Him. He is the God who provides. He is the God who resurrects dead dreams, dead hopes, and even dead situations. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in your life (Romans 8:11).

Practical Steps to Build Trust

1. Daily surrender: Start each morning saying, “Here I am, Lord.”

2. Remember God’s faithfulness: Keep a journal of past provisions and answered prayers.

3. Meditate on Scripture: Fill your mind with promises that anchor your soul.

4. Obey quickly: Delayed obedience is often disobedience.

5. Surround yourself with faith-filled community: Iron sharpens iron.

As you walk with God, victories and failures will come. But through the power of the Holy Spirit, your faith will deepen. Testing is not punishment—it is preparation. On the other side of obedience stands provision, blessing, and greater intimacy with the Father.

Prayer Heavenly Father, we thank You for the powerful example of Abraham’s faith. Forgive us for the times we’ve leaned on our own understanding instead of trusting You completely. When tests come, help us to respond with quick obedience and unwavering trust. Deepen our faith through every trial. Teach us to worship on the mountain, believing You will provide. We declare today that You are Yahweh Yireh—the Lord who sees and provides. Thank You that because of Jesus, we are never alone in our tests. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Reflection Question: What is God asking you to trust Him with right now, even if it doesn’t make sense? Will you take the next step of obedience today?