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KWASIZABANTU
MINISTERS’ CONFERENCE
Thursday,
8 March 2001
Closing
Message
Rev
Erlo Stegen
Genesis 22:1-3
Prayer: “We pray Lord that you will be with
us. If you are not with us, it will be totally in vain that we are together in this way.
Come down, oh Lord, and kindle the fire in us. Amen”
In
Genesis 2:1-13 we read an amazing, deep and intense story of the testing of Abraham.
– Tested by God.
The Lord spoke to Abraham and He said: `Here I am Lord”, implying “Here I am
Lord with all I have, represent, everything”.
Then the Lord said: “Take your son...” - His only son, whom he loved with all
his heart - this boy, Isaac, the treasure in his life - “...and sacrifice as a burnt
offering”. This was a great trial to Abraham.
But the next morning early Abraham got up, ready to do what the Lord commanded. At the
foot of Mountain Moriah, he took his son, the knife, wood and fire.
Isaac asked – “Here is the wood, knife and fire, but where is the lamb, where is
the sacrifice?” Abraham answered: “God will provide.”
From this Rev Stegen went on to say that we need to have the same spirit as Abraham. We as
descendants of Abraham can be regarded as “his spiritual children”.
He regarded it a privilege to do things for God. Christians can complain so much when the
going gets difficult.
To leave wife, children and home is such a problem, keeping us from working for God. We
need to have the nature of Abraham.
God said – “burn your son”. This was a real problem. Isaac personified
God’s promise – now it will go up in flames. But God will provide and God did
provide. An Angel stopped Abraham. In God’s eyes Isaac was dead, burned to ashes,
although alive. That is how it must be in our lives.
Rev Stegen directed a question to the delegates: “Is all
you have and all you are on the altar?” This is a secret, the secret of life out of
death. Everything has to die, has to be sacrificed. The believer has to die to all, and
God will give life. If God calls, can you say: “Lord, here am I?”
Everything
must be on the altar, everything must be sacrificed. If not, there can be no resurrection
life.
May God strengthen us, showing us His Sacrifice, His son Jesus on the cross.
May God in heaven keep us to be faithful to the end, to the last breath.
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