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How does God prepare us for service? Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Read or listen to this chapter from my book, A Father Offers His Son, to learn about God’s preparation process for Abraham, David, and us!
Table of contents
The text in this post is from A Father Offers His Son: The True and Greater Sacrifice Revealed Through Abraham and Isaac, and the audio is from the accompanying audiobook. I am praying God uses the book and audiobook to exalt Christ and strengthen people’s relationships with Him!
How does God prepare us for service? Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God has preparation process for us to complete us.
God’s Preparation Process for Abraham
We doubt that we could be like him if given a a test of such magnitude. But God prepared Abraham for the test in Genesis 22, and it should be an encouragement that He also prepares us for the trials and tests we face, such as the Coronavirus.
God Prepared Abraham through Their Relationship
By the time Genesis 22 takes place, Abraham had a deep history with God. Abraham had been through many experiences with God, and as a result, he knew Him. When Abraham interceded for Sodom, he talked God down from fifty righteous people to ten righteous people (Genesis 18:32).
The exchange looked like a conversation between friends, which is fitting since three times in Scripture Abraham is called God’s friend (2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23). At points, Abraham worried about pushing God too far, but the longer they talked, the more Abraham learned about God’s patience and graciousness. Experiences in relationships can allow trust to build. Abraham had been through so much with God that he trusted Him, even when He asked him to sacrifice his son.
When Abraham first met God back in Genesis 12, could he have passed the same test he passed in Genesis 22? Did Abraham have the faith in Genesis 12 to do what he did in Genesis 22? I doubt it. God prepared Abraham for Genesis 22 in the previous ten chapters.
Abraham needed great faith to sacrifice Isaac, and God built that faith in Abraham through their relationship. For example, Abraham believed God would raise Isaac from the dead, and God convinced Abraham He could raise Isaac from the dead by bringing two other bodies back to life—his and Sarah’s. Abraham knew he and Sarah could no longer have children. Their bodies were “dead,” but:
And not being weak in faith, (Abraham) did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
Romans 4:19-21
Abraham believed God could raise Isaac from the dead. Why? He experienced God supernaturally raise his and Sarah’s “dead” bodies in their old age so they could have Isaac.
God Prepared Abraham through Previous Tests
God also prepared Abraham for the test of Genesis 22 through the tests He gave him in the previous chapters.
The Family Test
Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house.”
Genesis 12:1a
This is the “Family Test” that involved leaving his relatives behind. Abraham failed by bringing his nephew, Lot.
The Walk by Faith Test
Now the Lord had said to Abram: “[Go] to a land that I will show you.”
Genesis 12:1b
At the same time, Abraham faced the “Walk by Faith Test” since God told him to go to a land he had never seen.
The Famine Test
Then Abraham faced the “Famine Test”:
Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.
Genesis 12:10
Abraham failed this test when he left the land and went to Egypt.
The Fear of Man Test
Then he also failed the “Fear of Man Test” when he told Sarah to say she was his sister to protect himself:
“Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”
Genesis 12:13
The Generosity Test
In Genesis 13, Abraham passed the “Generosity Test.” His herdsmen began fighting with Lot’s herdsmen, and Abraham gave Lot the best choice of land for his animals:
So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
Genesis 13:8-9
The Compassion Test
In Genesis 14, Abraham passed the “Compassion Test” when he risked his life to rescue his nephew Lot from the five kings who captured him:
Now when Abram heard that (Lot) was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan… So he brought back all the goods, and (Lot) and his goods.
Genesis 14;14, 16
The Giving Test
Then Abraham passed the “Giving Test” when he would not keep the wealth he acquired from the battle against Sodom:
Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”
Genesis 14:21-23
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’”
The Spiritual Leader Test
Abraham failed the “Spiritual Leader Test” when he submitted to Sarah and had a child with Hagar:
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.
Genesis 16:1-2
The Circumcision Test
Abraham passed the “Circumcision Test” when God gave him the sign of the covenant, and he had the males with him obey:
So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him.
Genesis 17:23
The Integrity Test
Abraham failed the “Integrity Test” when he lied about Sarah being his sister:
Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.”
Genesis 20:2
He put his wife in danger, and she ended up in a pagan king’s harem.
The Ishmael Test
Finally, Abraham passed the “Ishmael Test” that most clearly prepared him for Genesis 22. God commanded him to give up a different son. This test is overshadowed by the account with Isaac, but it was still very difficult for Abraham:
Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son.
Genesis 21:9–14
But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”
So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.
Abraham’s “displeasure” is mentioned twice, but he still passed the test. Before God ever asked Abraham to offer up Isaac, He first asked him to “offer up” Ishmael. Did Abraham have any idea God would soon after say, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and offer him as a burnt offering”? No, but God prepared him for that difficult test through the previous tests.
Proverbs 24:27
God’s Preparation Process for David
Abraham was far from the only person in the Old Testament God tested. David faced a great test when he went before Goliath. Although it would be terrifying, David did not seem the least bit afraid:
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
1 Samuel 17:45–47
Why was David so confident he could defeat Goliath? He provided the answer before he stepped on the battlefield. When Saul discouraged David from fighting Goliath, David responded with such a convincing argument that Saul permitted him:
David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord, Who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
1 Samuel 17:34–37
David experienced earlier tests with lions and bears that prepared him for the test with Goliath. David was confident God would deliver him from Goliath because of God’s previous deliverances. God spent years delivering David, and that convinced him He would similarly deliver him from Goliath. God’s past faithfulness gave David confidence in God’s future faithfulness.
God’s Preparation Process for Us
Sometimes people read the Old Testament and think, “What does this have to do with me? How can I learn from people whose lives are so different from mine?” These are unfortunate questions because the New Testament states the Old Testament provides us with examples:
- Romans 15:4—“For whatever things were written (in the Old Testament) were written for our learning.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:11—“Now all these things happened to (the Israelites) as examples, and they were written for our admonition.”
Church age believers can learn from Old Testament accounts which often provide a backdrop for New Testament instruction. Abraham and David’s lives are instructive because God tests us like He tested them. When Abraham and David passed the tests they faced, it proved the genuineness of their faith. First Peter 1:7 says “the genuineness of (our) faith (is shown when) it is tested.”
Also, just as God did with Abraham and David, He uses the previous chapters of our lives to write our future chapters. God prepares us for future tests through earlier tests. As Abraham and David looked to God’s past faithfulness to be confident in His future faithfulness, we must look to God’s past faithfulness to be confident in His continued faithfulness to us.
The Danger of Forgetting God’s Past Faithfulness
Israel faced a difficult test when entering the Promised Land. They had many enemies to defeat, and God prepared them by dramatically defeating their previous enemy—Egypt. Israel focused on God’s victory over Egypt, and so—with only a few exceptions—the Book of Joshua is a record of their victories over the Canaanites. Surprisingly though, Israel then moved to a record of failures in the book of Judges. Why the dramatic change? They forgot God’s past faithfulness, and failed terribly as a result:
So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel… When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, Who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger.
Judges 2:7, 10–12
The Israelites in Judges failed because they “did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done.” The old generation from Joshua’s day knew God and what He had done, but the new generation did not know God any better than they knew the gods of the Canaanites. Thus, it was easy for them to “(serve) the Baals (and forsake) the Lord God of their fathers…and follow other gods from among the (Canaanites).” We must do two things to avoid the same failure in our lives!
- We know God through the Bible. It is His record of Himself. People who do not know the God of the Bible will be about as successful against the tests they face as the Israelites were in Judges. To have confidence in God’s past faithfulness, we must know His past faithfulness, and it is recorded for us in Scripture. God wants us to know Him so we can trust Him, but people who do not know God cannot trust Him. If you want to be able to trust God when tested, then learn from the Word that He is a God Who can be trusted.
- Abraham and David passed tests they faced, because of their relationships with God. But the Israelites in Judges had no relationships with God. We must seek the Lord when we face tests, so we can build relationships with Him. Some people do not expect God to deliver in the future because they never sought His deliverance in the past. People can only trust God’s future faithfulness if they know His past faithfulness, and people can only know God’s past faithfulness if He has been part of their pasts. If we expect to be able to trust God in the future, we must seek Him in the present to build a history with Him.
We Can Be Confident God Is Preparing Us (Philippians 1:6)
As you can see, God has a thorough preparation process. We see it in the lives of Abraham, David, and others. We can be confident He is preparing us as well: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
6 Responses
A New Way of Thinking…….about “The Assembling of Ourselves Together ”
Hebrews 10:25 “…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
This is a confusing verse from the Book of Hebrews but it is also the verse that, many years ago, our former pastor used to try to stop us from leaving his church.
Why do I say it is confusing? Well, because I did not understand it &, if read in context, it does not make sense, it does not flow & I, for one, could not reconcile this verse with the entire passage. So, as is my habit, & knowing something is wrong but that I lack understanding, I pray, leave it with the Lord & wait for the Holy Spirit to enlighten me. He is Faithfull & always comes through, in His timing.
You might be interested/surprised to know that a couple of days after “Hearing” this, Pauline & I were contacted by a group member asking our opinion & understanding of this verse (I hope they, & you, find this “New Way of Thinking” helpful & thought-provoking)!
So what is this new revelation that I have received? To try to explain it, I will work backwards to see what the purpose of our “Assembling Ourselves Together” is. It is something to do with preparation for a “Day” that is approaching. That “Day” is the “Day” of our Salvation & applies to us as individuals. It is not one “Day” for all of us but a particular “Day” for each of us!
Later God will also deal with us as an “Assembly” of His own Special People, the Church, the Elect, His Chosen Ones, His Children, who became part of His Family, a Group of Brothers & Sisters of Christ, IN Christ.
Here is His advice from the same Book, Hebrews; Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS ON THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS” Heb 3:7,8
This is a warning to the unbelieving Jews, who the Book is written to, to not allow a hardened, calloused prideful heart rob them of their Salvation. This is not just a warning, it´s a very severe warning, repeated 3 times in Hebrews alone but is originally found in the OT in Deuteronomy & Psalms.
God is writing, by the Holy Spirit, through James, I believe (the Book of James also being addressed to unsaved Jews), about Salvation & we do not get Saved as a group but as individuals. Therefore, I now understand what the Holy Spirit showed me about the “Assembling of Ourselves Together”
Three translations put it this way “…not forsaking our own assembling together…” (NASB, ASV, LSB) which seems more clear to me.
Each & every individual human being must not forsake the “Assembling of Ourselves Together”
Just as to see the beauty of the image on a Jig-Saw puzzle, the puzzle must first be “Assembled Together” so too with man, he is a mess & needs to be “Assembled Together” before the beauty of who he can become “In Christ” is revealed on that “Day”!
When the man went to the doctor & said, “Doctor, I think I am a pair of curtains” the Dr. Replied, “Pull yourself together, man”!
Or as James puts it in his other Book, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (Jas 4:8)
Or, put another way, “Assemble Yourself Together” in preparation for that “Day” that is “Approaching”!
Even the demoniac was found, “Clothed & seated & in his right mind.” – You might say, “Assembled Together”
It seems to me, that this “Assembling” is akin to the “Day of Preparation” the day before the Sabbath, the “Day” when, if properly “Prepared (Or “Assembled”)”, Believers “Enter into His rest” (Heb 4:1,2 – verses that also come with a warning!).
This is the “Day” that Jesus died on the cross, declaring, “It is finished”. Because His works were “Finished” so are ours because we “Died with Him” also to be “Raised with Him”!
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb 4:12)
God knows our condition. He knows our “Thoughts”, He also knows the “Intents of our hearts”. If properly “Assembled” Our souls (mind, will & emotions) will align & be in agreement with our spirits (a soft, pliable, humble & teachable heart), so that on that “Day” we willingly say “Yes” to Jesus who desires to be our Lord & Saviour.
If we have gone through the process of “Assembling Ourselves Together” on that “Day” we will find that our hearts are not hardened towards the One who loved us & died for us, & we will receive, not reject the Free Gift of Salvation.
Now, read in context, the passage from Hebrews 10 makes sense.
“…not forsaking the “Assembling of Ourselves Together”, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the “Day” approaching.”
What follows is the reason why we MUST NOT FORSAKE the “Assembling of Ourselves Together”
“For if we sin (Blaspheme the Holy Spirit) wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth (The Revelation of Jesus Christ), there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. (Heb 10:26)
One who is properly “Assembled” will not “Sin” or become an “Adversary” & will not fall into “Judgement” – That one will not blaspheme the Holy Spirit on that “Day”
“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (On that “Day”)” 1 Pet 1:13
Encourage unsaved family & friends by, “exhorting” them because the “Day” IS approaching & “New Wine” can only be poured into “New Wine Skins” that have been “Assembled Together” correctly with all of the pieces, like the jig-saw puzzle, in the right place!
In Conclusion: So, this “Assembling of Ourselves Together” is not referring to a group of people but rather to each of us as individuals but am I saying that Christians should not go to church, or attend a home group or have fellowship or “Assemble Together”? No, Of course not, that would be very unscriptural. What I am saying, though, is that no one, Pastor or otherwise, should be using this verse as a stick with which to browbeat or manipulate anyone into doing so. We are supposed to be led by the Holy Spirit NOT pushed or cajoled by man!
Hello Nicholas,
Thank you for taking the time to write this out, and I’m sorry a pastor used Hebrews 10:25 as a stick. On that last point we completely agree — no one should be browbeaten into fellowship with a verse. But I don’t think the interpretation holds up, and I’d rather say so plainly than let it stand.
The word translated “assembling together” is episynagōgē, and it’s used only one other place in the New Testament: 2 Thessalonians 2:1, “our being gathered together to him.” It describes a gathering of people, not a person pulling himself together. The phrase “our own assembling together” means the gathering that belongs to us as believers — the church’s meeting — not self-assembly.
The context points the same direction. Verses 24-25 are a single thought: “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…but exhorting one another.” Considering one another and exhorting one another can’t be done alone, so neither can the assembling between them. And “the Day approaching” throughout Hebrews is the Lord’s return, which is precisely why the writer says we need each other more, not less, as it draws near.
One more note: Hebrews wasn’t written by James. The author is unknown, and the book is addressed to Jewish Christians who were tempted to drift back into the old covenant — which is what the warning passages are pressing against.
Thanks again for reading and engaging so carefully. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Thank you for sharing your teaching on how God prepares people for His return during our time on earth as well as for eternity.
Hello Mark,
You’re welcome! I’m blessed it ministered to you.
Yeah, thanks for this Bible based teaching, I am strengthen by it seriously. But please, when does my preparation process ends for God’s Missions Assignment for me?
Thanks.
Hello James,
I’m sorry, but I don’t know exactly what you mean. Do you mean God’s preparation process for a certain mission assignment or do you mean for you in general? God’s preparation process, which we call sanctification, goes on throughout our lives. But if you mean God’s preparation for a certain assignment, then I couldn’t answer that without more information. I would encourage you to reach out to godly men you respect who know you well and asked them if they believe you are prepared.