「試練の先にある神の備え」 二月第一主日礼拝 宣教 2026年2月1日
創世記 Genesis 22章1〜14節 牧師 河野信一郎
Good morning. It’s hard to believe, but today marks the start of February. Though the cold days continue, I am thankful that this morning we could offer worship to God together with everyone in the chapel and those joining online. As you are already aware, the lives of those living along the Sea of Japan coast, from Hokkaido to the San’in region, are in a dire situation due to heavy snowfall. Snow removal efforts cannot keep up, and some people cannot go to work or school. Some cannot gather for worship and, as during the COVID-19 pandemic, have switched to online worship services. Let us pray that the lives and livelihoods of those suffering from the heavy snowfall will be protected from harm. Also, the flu is spreading. Please take good care of yourselves. I am praying for you.
This year’s Lent begins on the 18th of this month and continues until April 4th. As we spend this season remembering the path Jesus walked toward the cross, we also mark the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. During our Sunday worship service on March 8th, we will set aside time to remember and pray for three churches that continue to be built in the disaster-affected areas of Tohoku. These churches faithfully share God’s love with survivors and serve their communities with sincerity. We sincerely hope to send offerings again this year to support these churches. As you can see in the offering report section of the weekly bulletin, approximately ¥31,000 has been contributed as of today. If possible, we would like to send ¥30,000 to each church. Let us pray together and contribute another ¥60,000 collectively. There is a small wooden box near the entrance of the sanctuary. This box is specifically for disaster relief offerings. We kindly ask for your cooperation.
This month, I’d like to share messages from various passages in the Bible under the theme of “God’s Provision.” In English, this is expressed through words like “provide,” “provision,” or “supply.” God meets our needs. God prepares blessings for us. Even when we walk through trials, God guides us by providing ways to overcome them. I want to share what we learn from God’s Word about how He prepares a way of escape for us.
The board of deacons is preparing for the new fiscal year starting in April. Yesterday, the new treasurer presented the budget proposal. As I looked over that budget proposal, my thoughts wandered to what kind of year it would become. There is anxiety, and there is expectation. However, what God requires of us is that we listen together to His Word, pray with one heart, trust in God, and follow the Lord’s guidance. First and foremost, it is gathering here each Lord’s Day to offer worship together to God. It is God who blesses each one of us and this Okubo Church, and to bless us, God has made countless provisions within His plan.
Now, as we speak on the theme of “God’s Provision,” we have been given about 30 potential Bible passages to choose from. It is difficult to determine which passage God desires us to share. However, I believe the passage from Genesis 22 we heard this morning is one that is almost always discussed when addressing the theme of “God’s Provision.” As I mentioned in the children’s message, the words in verse 14, “The Lord will provide a lamb for the burnt offering,” are incredibly well-known. However, before Abraham could declare with conviction, “The Lord will provide on His own mountain!” he faced a tremendous trial. He had to undergo a major test of faith from God. There was great inner conflict, a battle of faith. What God was asking Abraham to prove was his faith: what he believed, what he prioritized above all else, what he trusted in, what he submitted to, and what he worshiped.
The story of Abraham begins in Genesis chapter 12. When he was 75 years old, God called him, saying, “Leave your native land, your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great. You will be a blessing.” He obediently heeded God’s words and set out for the promised land. Though God promised Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation and bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing,” God did not give him a child until Abraham was 100 years old. When he finally received a son, he named him “Isaac.” The name means “he laughs.” His son’s smile, his sleeping face, his growth—these must have been Abraham and his wife Sarah’s greatest joys. They raised Isaac with love and care.
But at the very height of such happiness, God suddenly tests Abraham’s faith. You may wonder why He would do such a seemingly cruel thing, but God wants to see what Abraham values most in his life, in his daily existence.
Read verses 1 and 2. “After these things, God tested Abraham. God called to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he answered, ‘Here I am.’ Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’” God commands Abraham, “Sacrifice what is most precious to me.” If God commanded us, not “Choose one from among many and sacrifice it,” but “Sacrifice what you hold most dear,” how would we respond? Many would turn away from God. I would be among them. How did Abraham respond?
In verse 3, it says, “Early the next morning, Abraham saddled his donkey, split wood for the burnt offering, and took two of his servants and his son Isaac. He set out for the place God had told him about.” Not a week later, not a month later, not a year later. The very next morning. Abraham set out for the land God had commanded. It’s unbelievable. Verse 4 says it took three days to reach the destination. What must Abraham have been thinking and pondering during that time? Was there no intense inner conflict?
When the destination came into view, verse 5: Abraham said to the young men, “You stay here with the boy. I and the boy will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you.” Verse 6: Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac’s shoulders. He himself carried the fire and the knife. The two of them walked on together. The father, knowing what was to come, and the son, who knew nothing, climbed the mountain. The father’s steps were heavy, while the son’s steps were likely very light. Above all, he could offer worship to God together with his beloved father.
In verse 7, Isaac called out to his father Abraham, “My father!” When he answered, “Here I am, my son,” Isaac asked, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” He could not possibly say to his beloved son, “You are the burnt offering.” Verse 8: “Then Abraham said, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’”
The words “God will provide” were not a spur-of-the-moment lie born from a father’s pity for his unfortunate son. Rather, they were words of faith—words of trust in God, born from Abraham’s belief that God would have mercy and provide a substitute for his son. Even if he were to lose his son here, it was a word of trust in God—a word based on faith—believing in the God who promised blessing and choosing to obey His word.
In verse 9, it says, “When Abraham reached the place God had told him about, he built an altar there, arranged the wood, bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the wood of the altar.” What must have been going through the minds of both father and son? Did the father think, “The time has finally come,” while the son cried out, “Wait, Dad, what’s going on? Why am I the sacrifice? Are you out of your mind?” If I were Isaac, I think I would have screamed and struggled violently, but the Bible does not record that situation. After everything was prepared, verse 10 says, “Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.” To be willing to slaughter his beloved son meant that he placed God—who had given him his son and brought him great joy—above his love for his son. It meant loving God and worshiping God.
Our faith is tested in our daily lives. This morning, God asks us: Do we truly believe in Him? Do we possess the same love and trust in God that Abraham did? Do we reverence God and offer Him heartfelt worship? Do we truly put God first in our daily lives? The reality is that even when we want to, we often fail. Yet this morning, God teaches us that salvation and blessings are prepared for those who place their trust in Him.
Verses 11 and 12 state: “Then the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ And he answered, ‘Here I am.’ The angel said, ‘Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do nothing to him. Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.’” God was pleased with Abraham’s faith. And He provided a substitute for Isaac. Verse 13: “Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.” Verse 14: “And Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide. As it is said to this day, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.’”
Before rejoicing at this passage about God’s provision and declaring, “All’s well that ends well!”, I believe we must ask ourselves: Do we possess the same love and trust in God that Abraham had? Do we truly worship Him with reverence? Do we put God first in our daily lives? Yet there are those among us who, even though we think and wish to live this way, cannot.
Yet God loved us and had compassion on us, giving us His Son Jesus for our salvation. Isaac’s substitute was a ram, but our substitute is Jesus. As our substitute, God prepared and sacrificed Him as the offering to atone for our sins, the burnt offering—our Savior Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Through this Jesus Christ, we come to know God’s love, receive that love, and are transformed into those who love and worship God. And it is only through Jesus’ love, prayers, and life that we are first enabled to love and serve our family and neighbors.
Therefore, even if you are now in the midst of trials, believe that God has prepared something beyond them and that Jesus is with you. Believe and walk with the Lord. God’s blessings are still abundantly prepared for the days ahead. Do not place your trust in what lies before your eyes, but only in God and Jesus. Listen to the Lord’s words daily and obey them.