Devotionals for January 25, 2023
Join us for Theology Thursdays this week at 12:00pm in the church building. Bring your own lunch when you come!
READ
Genesis 22:13-14; Romans 3:25-26
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.”
25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
REFLECT
The first explicit mention of God as the provider is found in the often-quoted account of Abraham's test of faith. The story goes that Abraham was told by God to sacrifice his “only son” Isaac. Abraham obeyed God and took his beloved son up to a mountain in Moriah. This is remarkable in its own right. Isaac was the promised offspring, a literal gift from God, and now God was commanding Abraham to sacrifice him. But the most significant part of this passage is not the willingness of Abraham to follow through with God’s command. The climax of the account is that at the very moment, Abraham was going to do it, God provided a substitute in the form of a ram. This substitution was meant to exemplify God's very nature as one who “will provide.” But it is not just rammed that He provides. The ram signifies something far weightier, namely, that one day God would literally provide Himself as a substitution for our sins. He would be “presented as a sacrifice of atonement.”
APPLY
Q: What does it mean for Christ to be “presented as a sacrifice?”
Q: How can you reflect deeper on God’s provision of sacrifice for you in the midst of your daily needs?
Q: What does this passage imply for unbelievers?
SING
“Jireh” by Elevation and Maverick City Music
PRAY
"Give us today our daily bread."
Lord, help us feast on you. Help us to remember your sacrifice when we take communion in a deeper way. Amen!
READ
Genesis 22:13-14; Romans 3:25-26
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.”
25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
REFLECT
The first explicit mention of God as the provider is found in the often-quoted account of Abraham's test of faith. The story goes that Abraham was told by God to sacrifice his “only son” Isaac. Abraham obeyed God and took his beloved son up to a mountain in Moriah. This is remarkable in its own right. Isaac was the promised offspring, a literal gift from God, and now God was commanding Abraham to sacrifice him. But the most significant part of this passage is not the willingness of Abraham to follow through with God’s command. The climax of the account is that at the very moment, Abraham was going to do it, God provided a substitute in the form of a ram. This substitution was meant to exemplify God's very nature as one who “will provide.” But it is not just rammed that He provides. The ram signifies something far weightier, namely, that one day God would literally provide Himself as a substitution for our sins. He would be “presented as a sacrifice of atonement.”
APPLY
Q: What does it mean for Christ to be “presented as a sacrifice?”
Q: How can you reflect deeper on God’s provision of sacrifice for you in the midst of your daily needs?
Q: What does this passage imply for unbelievers?
SING
“Jireh” by Elevation and Maverick City Music
PRAY
"Give us today our daily bread."
Lord, help us feast on you. Help us to remember your sacrifice when we take communion in a deeper way. Amen!