Genesis 22:1-14

February 24, 2010

Standard of Living

Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The sermon this evening (24 February 2010) is from the Old Testament book of Genesis.

The Standard of Living in the United States is among the highest on earth.  It is a quality of life represented by material comforts.  Measured in terms of annual income, home ownership, and life expectancy, people come from all over the world to live in the United States.  We have unequaled access to consumer goods and spend thousands of dollars AND thousands of hours purchasing and accumulating items—clothes, tools, cars, bicycles, computers, televisions, furniture, sound systems, boats, books, kitchen utensils, appliances, homes, games, toys, motorcycles, another car, a second home, more televisions—need I say more?  It is a lifetime focus that defines the American way.

But our American way stands in stark contrast to the Jesus Way.  The Jesus Way is not about “getting ahead’ through the purchase of material goods.  Rather, it is a way—a lifetime way—of walking with God.  THIS standard of living way is clearly outlined by Jesus in three words from our Gospel lesson this evening:  REPENT, BELIEVE, FOLLOW.

Say them with me:  REPENT, BELIEVE, FOLLOW. 

The Jesus Way of repent, believe, follow is a choice—our choice—a choice that will truly determine our standard of living in the eyes of God.  It cannot be imposed, it is a deliberate choice.  The psalmist in our second reading speaks of a man who chooses the law of the Lord—the Lord’s way—and that choice defines his standard of living. 

Abraham’s chosen standard of living—living the way of God—begins long before God tests him at Mt. Moriah.   It begins many years earlier when he first obeys the command of God to leave his country and his people and his family and go to the land God will show him.  Abraham’s faith journey begins as all of our faith journeys begin—with obedience.

Abraham’s journey is much like our journey—he doesn’t know what the Lord will command of him or where the Lord will call him.  He moves to Canaan to answer God’s call, then to Bethel, Egypt, the Negev, Bethel again, Canaan again, back to the region of the Negev, to Gerar, then moves to the land of the Philistines, and of course, is called by God to the region of Moriah. 

During his journey, Abraham builds altars to the Lord, tells lies to the Pharaoh in Egypt, becomes wealthy, defeats the King of Elam, rescues his nephew Lot, fathers a son with his wife’s maidservant, pleads to God for Sodom & Gomorrah, lies to the King of Gerar, believes God, accepts a covenant from the Lord, laughs at God, prays to God, has a son with his wife Sarah, calls upon the name of the Lord, is tested by God at Mt. Moriah, mourns the death of Sarah, arranges Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah, and father’s 6 more children with his second wife.

It is important to see Abraham’s life as a whole to understand his obedience to God at Mt. Moriah.  Lives are complex and one event is not enough to portray a lifetime of decisions.   Abraham’s life and his relationship with God does not begin or end with his journey to Mt. Moriah—it is part of the way.  It is through the life long journey that Abraham grows and develops his relationship with God and with the people in his life.

Abraham lives the way.  He doesn’t preach about God, he doesn’t write scrolls about God, he doesn’t sit around thinking about what he should do.  He’s an active participant in the journey of life and it is through this participation that his faith matures.  He prays, worships, and listens to God—even to the point of sacrificing his own son.  Abraham’s standard of living is defined by passion for and obedience to God. 

You can see from Abraham’s story that his life is NOT defined by perfection.  Rather, his life centers around accepting the invitation repent, believe, follow.  “REPENT,” and I quote Eugene Peterson from his book The Jesus Way, “requires a decision to leave one way of life and set out on another.  It commands a change of mind or heart that results in a change of direction.”  (end quote) ( page 22)   Repentance, then, determines our standard of living.    Like Abraham, our standard of living—whether it’s the Jesus Way OR the American way—is not defined by a single act or a single purchase—it is defined by the focus throughout our entire lives.

Abraham’s BELIEF in God is stated in Genesis15:6 after God comes to him in a vision and tells him he will have a son and heir.  The Hebrew word for the verb “believe” is aman which is also the root word for the noun “faith”.  So to believe is to have faith.   Eugene Peterson states “…Abraham was a person of faith, a person who listened to God and obeyed with his life.  Faith means we put our trust in God—and we don’t know how He will work out our salvation, only that it is our salvation that He is working out.”  (end quote)  (pages 45 and 55)

Even though Abraham did not always make the right decisions he always FOLLOWED God.  Here are a just a few of the passages found in the book of Genesis.  Chapter 12:4a:  “So Abraham left, as the Lord had told him.”  Chapter 13:4b: “There Abraham called on the name of the Lord.”  Chapter 15:1:  “After this, the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision.”  And from our text this evening, Chapter 22:1:  “Some time later God tested Abraham.  He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” Abraham replied.

“Here I am.”  Obedience.  None of us, Abraham included, can experience a change of mind or heart or direction, none of us can believe, and none of us can follow God without obedience TO God.  Obedience defines HOW we will repent, HOW we will believe, and HOW we will follow. 

“Remember, we can’t live the Jesus Way any old way we like,” Pastor Jim told us last week in his sermon.  Living obediently seems easy—when it doesn’t involve repentance or trust.  However, obedience that involves true change, surrender, and trust is hard.  Just ask Abraham. 

Abraham, after hearing God’s command to sacrifice Isaac, makes preparations for the journey.  He has over 3 days to travel and think about what God has asked him to do.  Three long days and nights to agonize, second guess God, and make a run for it.  But Abraham journeys to the place God has chosen.  He & Isaac take time to worship God.  Abraham builds an altar to God as he has so many times in the past.  When Isaac is bound and laid on the altar, Abraham hears his name called.  And he answers:  “Here I am.”   

“Here I am.”  Abraham spent a lifetime increasing his standard of living by developing a personal relationship with God.  A relationship so personal and trusting he can calmly answer, “Here I am” in the midst of any situation.  Abraham accepts the way of God.  Quoting Eugene Peterson, “On Mt. Moriah, Abraham was empty enough of Abraham to take in salvation whole.” (end quote)  (pg 50) 

Everyone’s faith will be tested.  There WILL be temptations along the way—a myriad of opportunities to choose God & obey.  And with each opportunity we will discover more about ourselves, learn to trust God’s love, and grow in our personal relationship with God.  Through repeated testing we will learn to let go & let God—let go of what we have in our worldly standard of living and let God give us what He will give us. 

Abraham surrendered himself into God’s hands.  He heard the voice of God and chose to repent, believe, and follow.  He trusted God’s love and obediently risked the life of his son on a God he could not see.  Abraham’s faith and standard of living the way of God evolved over a lifetime.   So when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son at Mt. Moriah, Abraham was willing to act obediently because of his love for God. 

God was willing to sacrifice His only Son because of His love for us.  The obedience of Jesus and His standard of living is evident in His prayer to God at Gethsemane:  “Not my will but thine….”  Eugene Peterson writes (quote), “Abraham preceded Jesus in the way of the Lord and Jesus completed the way.  Abraham prepared the way of Jesus.  Jesus is our way to God: Jesus is God’s way to us.”  (end quote) (pages 15, 39, 37)

Our journey today is fueled by the promise of eternal life from God through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Jesus died for our sins and so we could live Easter lives.  We travel with the security of our baptism.  We pack the Old Testament writings that clearly outline Abraham’s standard of living and the books of the New Testament with specific commands from Jesus.  We get to choose the American way or the Jesus Way. 

There is no better time than Lent to reflect on our standard of living and the words of Jesus, “repent, believe, follow.”  Let’s choose to live as Abraham lived—passionately & faithfully.  God is waiting for us to answer His call with an obedient “Here I am.”  OUR standard of living can be a lifetime of choices that define the Jesus Way.  Amen.