12-17-2025 PART 2: Nothing Between Us and God

Section 1

This teaching centers on the sanctification process and the difficult truth that sincere servants of God will be tested in ways they may not enjoy. Salvation is presented as past, present, and future—justification, sanctification, and glorification—but it is during sanctification that God shapes believers to reflect Christ more fully. Genesis 22 becomes the defining illustration, where God tests Abraham by asking him to sacrifice Isaac, the promised son. This test is not about cruelty or divine uncertainty, but about exposing whether anything stands between Abraham and God. Abraham’s obedience is immediate and deliberate, showing faith that is active, costly, and real. His statement that God Himself will provide the lamb is identified as a clear declaration of the gospel in advance. The passage emphasizes that Abraham was fully prepared to obey, trusting that God could even raise Isaac from the dead if necessary, demonstrating faith without conditions or safeguards.

Section 2

At the heart of this account is the principle that God will not allow idols to remain between Himself and His people, even when those idols appear good, noble, or divinely promised. Isaac was not merely Abraham’s son; he represented hope, legacy, and God’s covenant. Yet God required Abraham to lay that promise down to confirm that nothing—not even blessing—could rival devotion to Him. This reveals the seriousness with which God treats divided allegiance. Anything placed before God becomes a shrine, and God does not tolerate rivals. This applies beyond Abraham, as believers in Christ are identified as Abraham’s seed and heirs of the same promise. Faith is not compartmentalized, and devotion is not partial. God requires first place always, not occasionally, and not symbolically. The lesson is sobering but necessary, underscoring that true faith is marked by full surrender rather than selective obedience.

Section 3

The message concludes by bringing this truth into personal and practical reflection. Even seasoned believers face moments when God calls for a renewed yielding of the heart. Seasons of closeness may alternate with periods of distraction or delay, yet God remains faithful to challenge His people back to wholehearted devotion. The call is not to abandon family, responsibilities, or relationships, but to recognize that none of these can take precedence over God Himself. Scripture is clear that loving anything more than God is not acceptable, regardless of how culturally acceptable it may seem. God desires all of a person, not fragments. Every breath comes from Him, and every aspect of life belongs to Him. The enduring lesson from Abraham is that faith willing to hold nothing back is faith God honors, forming believers who are fully yielded, fully dependent, and fully aligned with Him—yesterday, today, and forever.