Well, it's good to see everyone
this evening and once again, how thankful we are. This precious
time to be able to assemble ourselves together. Search the scriptures. I pray the Lord be pleased to
bless the services this evening. I'd like for you to take your
Bibles and turn with me to the book of Genesis chapter 22. Genesis
22. This evening, as we're we're
going through this, this 22nd chapter, as I told you, last
week or so, I'd like to just just take our time and look very,
very carefully at these at these words. I'd like to read verses
three through five and deal with that this evening, and then Lord
willing, we'll have the Lord's supper. Genesis 22, three, and Abraham
rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass and took
two of his young men with him and Isaac, his son, and claved
the wood for the burnt offering and rose up and went unto the
place of which God had told him. Then on the third day, Abraham
lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said
unto his young men, abide ye here with the ass, and I and
the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you. Let's pray together. Our Heavenly Father, we thank
you this evening. In the name of the Lord Jesus,
we approach you and ask you to bless your word. Help us, Lord,
we're needy people. We ask you now, forgive us for
Christ's sake. Amen. The Lord has spoken to Abraham
to test him, to prove him, to prove to Abraham of the Lord's
faithfulness to prove the faith of Abraham. God has instructed
Abraham to take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou
lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him
there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which I
will tell thee of. The Lord gave no explanation,
no reason, for his command, Abraham asked no questions. Abraham believed
God. Now, obviously, if the flesh
was consulted, the reasons for questioning the Lord's word would
be endless. I'm sure that Abraham could probably
justify Ishmael's expulsion out of the house because of the animosity
that arose immediately after Sarah observed the mocking of
the handmaid's son against her son, Isaac. But for Abraham to
actually take Isaac and offer him upon an altar for a burnt
offering, what prophet according to the flesh. Now, if we're going
to consult the flesh, what prophet could there be to sacrifice Isaac? If you're going to sit there
and argue with the Lord, how did he explain this to Sarah?
There's no mention that he said anything to Sarah. How is he
going to mention all this to the household? And when the Lord
has promised his son and now has given a son through the dead
womb of Sarah and from Abraham whose body the scripture says
was now dead in his ability to have children. Messiah was promised
to God from God to come through Isaac. And wouldn't this sacrifice
of Isaac be contrary to what the Lord has said? A reproach
to Abraham? Humiliation? He'd be known as
the father who slew his son. If he's going to consult the
flesh, we'll always come up with reasons to not obey God. We can think of all kinds of
reasons. The Lord's people are often exposed to great trials
that run contrary to natural thinking. The only comfort that
they have is this. It's the Lord who works with
all things after the counsel of his own will. Scripture says,
we confer not. It's what Paul did. The Lord
called Paul, hauled him on the road to Damascus, conferred not
with flesh and blood. God's people don't question God's
word. Scripture says that Abraham staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith,
giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what he
had promised, he was able to perform. I want you to take your
sign. your only son, son that thou
lovest. The life of faith is the life
made new in Christ. It's life of self denial. It's life doesn't argue with
the Lord doesn't make excuses to justify disobedience. The
Lord had spoken And that was the Lord's word. So, verse 3
said, And Abraham rose up early in the morning, saddled his ass,
took two of his young men with him, Isaac his son, claimed the
wood for the burnt offering, rose up, went unto the place
of which God had told him. We're convinced that though the
fire of the Lord's loving hand of chastening mercy is grievous
for the moment. I'm looking at some folks here
that's been through some trials. I know you have. Suffered some
things that were hard. These things are grievous for
the moment, but the heart of submission is there in a believer. Faith from above, the faith of
God's elect, when tried, does not look to the circumstances.
I know we struggle with this. It looks to the Lord, looking
to him. And though the battle with our flesh, the fiery darts
of Satan, through those things, our old man will raise its ugly
head and argue and question. But we're more than conquerors.
through him that loved us. Abraham was called of God to
perform that which would picture the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And being instructed, he saddled
his ass for the journey to the place of God's choosing. I couldn't
help but think about, this is just my thoughts, I couldn't
help but think about, here was Isaac, he's a picture, It's a
picture of Christ, submissiveness. I don't know how old he was. I've tried to read and find.
He could have been mid-20s, somewhere in that area, 30. He wasn't a
little boy, wasn't he? He was an older, he was an older.
And he could have been a little younger than that, but not much.
He was a man, he was a man. Here he is, a picture of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And Abraham, obeying God, saddled
his ass. I couldn't help but think of
our Lord who rode into Jerusalem sitting on an ass's coat. And he says he took two of his
young men with him. And as I contemplated that, I
thought, not to assist, but as witnesses. Witnesses like those
that beheld our Lord going to Calvary's tree. The mouth of
two or three witnesses shall the matter be established. Scripture
says Matthew 18, 16. And then Isaac, his son, he took
him, he took, he took the saddled ass, took the two young men,
and Isaac, his son, the son of Abraham's love, his only son,
again, the type of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he claimed the wood
for the burnt offering. He split it. He cut it, that's
what he did. He cut the wood and got it ready,
split the wood for the burnt offering. Hold your place, right,
and turn with me to the book of Nehemiah. You'll see 1 Kings
and you'll see 1 and 2 Chronicles and you'll, you just keep flipping,
Ezra, Nehemiah, Nehemiah. And Nehemiah chapter 10, I found
a very revealing scripture here concerning the wood for the burnt
offering. Nehemiah 10, verse 34, and this
was the things that were gathered by the people for the sacrifices. Look at this, it says, Nehemiah
10, 34, and we cast the lots. among the priests, the Levites,
and the people for the wood offering to bring it into the house of
our God after the houses of our fathers at times appointed year
by year to burn upon the altar of the Lord our God as it is
written in the law. The fire was not to go out on
the altar. And it was a ministry. There
were some people and they cast lots. to find out who would gather
the wood. The wood had to be prepared.
It had to be split. It had to be right. It had to
be ready. And they cast lots. And they
trusted the Lord for them to gather the wood. To make sure
that it was there. Don't run out. And this is what
he did. He got the wood. He claved the
wood. He split it. going to bring it
with him. And the scripture says back in
22 verse three and he rose up and he went to the place which
God had told him. I began to again look at that
scripture and I thought of all the preparation that was made.
This is what I'm this what I'm telling you to do. I want you
to take your son only son. Got up early early in the morning.
I don't know. Doesn't say how early. But it
was early. He got up, saddled his ass, got
the young men, got Isaac, split the wood, got it ready. All the
preparation for the sacrifice of Isaac was done. It was all finished. And concerning
the finished work, all the preparation of God Concerning the sacrifice,
the redemption of God's people, the Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture
says he was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
He was, he was prepared. God, God saw him. God saw Christ
lay down his life. He saw him before the foundation
of the world. Turn to 2 Timothy 1, 8 and 9. I think of all this, look at
this preparation that was done, everything. 2 Timothy chapter
1, we've read this before, beautiful, beautiful passage of scripture. 2 Timothy 1, 8 and 9. Be not thou therefore shamed
of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be
thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel. according to the
power of God who has saved us and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior,
Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and has brought life and
immortality to the light through the gospel prepared. The Lamb
was prepared, slain from the foundation of the world. God
Almighty saved us, called us, the holy calling. All done, all
done. Look at Matthew 25. Matthew 25,
verse 34. Matthew 25, verse 34. In the day of judgment, it's
gonna be on the right right hand of the Lord. Goat's
going to be on the left. And the Lord, the judge himself,
going to speak. Then shall, 34, then shall the
king say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my
father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world. Heaven is a place prepared of
God for God's people. It's a sure place, a prepared
place. One made ready for his particular
people, people of God's choosing, a kingdom established by God. Eye hath not seen, ear hath not
heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man. Those things
that God prepared for those who love him, but it's prepared,
prepared. It's an inheritance, the scripture
says, an inheritance that's reserved God's elect. And nothing concerning
the kingdom of God is left to time. Oh, the Lord is calling
us out in time. And we behold things in time. We see the Lord regenerate His
people in time. But God knew them, saved them,
and then called them in time. But He saved them from the foundation
of the world. Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. Nothing's left of man's work,
nothing's left of man's will. So Abraham's preparation was
a type and a figure of all things that had been ordained and prepared
of God for his sheep in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. So
all things being prepared, Abraham went unto the place which God
told him. And verse four says that on the
third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes. And he saw the place
of far off. There's no way that anybody saved
the Lord could understand or know the heart and the trial
of Abraham. Abraham is bringing the son of
his love. Son of his affection. This is
the third day since Abraham has heard the words of the Lord and
he sees a place far off. The Lord told him. When he saw
the place, he knew the place. How did he know it? Well, the
scripture says, verse 2, that we looked at last week, or the
week before, it says, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac,
whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and
offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which
I will tell thee of. Three days later, he looks, the
scripture says, Abraham lifted up his eyes, and he saw the place
afar off. God told him, God told him, that's
where it was. And there we behold, as the Lord
himself, who had seen the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world, Christ Jesus would come in time. God Almighty beheld
him. Verse five, Abraham said unto
his young men, abide ye here with the ash, and I and the lad
will go yonder and worship. come again to you." That statement,
moved upon by the Spirit of God to say the very thing that he
said, that statement there just ignites my heart. He tells those
young men, he said, I want you to stay right here. You stay here with this ass.
And the lad and I will go yonder, and we're going to worship God.
Here we see that the sacrifice of Isaac was very, very intimate. It was a very private matter.
Just as the work of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross was
a divinely finished act of his willing submission unto the father. It was it was a work done between
the father and the son. And how jealous is the Lord God
as he guards the picture that set forth right here. I'm going
to show you why in just a minute. These two young men were allowed
to see quite a few things. They were allowed to see the
preparation to make the journey. I don't doubt one bit. I don't
doubt that they saw Abraham getting the wood, claving the wood. I
don't doubt the saddling of the ass, just getting all the things
together. They were permitted to hear Abraham
You know, well, he spoke and he made that three-day journey.
I'm sure they talked and they were allowed to hear Abraham
say, you know, you stay here and the lad and I will go yonder
and worship and come back to you. They could behold Isaac
bearing the wood. Picture, we'll look at that next
week, picture of the Lord Jesus Christ who bore his cross They'll
see them walking away. They'll see Abraham holding the
fire and the knife. And they'll watch. They'll be able to watch. They'll
go up to the place that the Lord has shown Abraham. And just as the Lord Jesus Christ,
in those days when he was getting ready to go to the cross, there
was a lot of things that were seen. His disciples, three of
them, were with him in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Lord would
pray, and Scripture was explicit on him coming to Him, and He'd
wake them up, and He'd go back, and He'd pray. And then in the
Garden, when He was betrayed of Judas, we saw a lot of things. We saw the Lord tell Peter, He
said, you're going to deny Me. You're going to deny Me. Three
times. Before the cock crows twice, you're gonna deny me.
I'll never do it. Three times he denied the Lord.
We have the witness of the trial of the Lord when he stood before
Pilate. Pilate, you know, talking to the people and they said,
I don't find any fault in him. Crucify him, crucify him. All
these things, we were by hell. And then there was those that
stood around the very cross when our Lord was hanging upon the
cross and there were so many of them that were mocking Him,
wagging their heads, you know. He said, you know, if you're
the Christ, come down, save yourself. But then there was those things
that were secret. Those things that were concealed
gloriously did the Lord keep. from the eyes of men those things
that he would not permit men to behold. The secret things
that is the closed or concealed things belong unto the Lord our
God. There's a lot of things that
we see even our lives right now we can see them but then there's
some things that we just don't know. Providence dictates the
Lord's will God's concealed things are kept. I want you to turn
with me in the book of Luke. Book of Luke, chapter 23. While you're turning there, we're
told, we're going to read about it in just a second here, about
three hours of darkness on that glorious day that concealed everything
that God Almighty would not allow to be seen by men. Amos prophesied of this. Amos
chapter 8 verse 9. I'm getting this from those men
that were told, you stay here, you stay here with them. The
lad and I will go yonder and we're going to worship God. But
you stay here with the ass. Amos chapter 8 verse 90 came
to pass in that day no it shall come to pass in that day saith
the Lord I will darken the earth now I looked up what that word
darken means it means dark withholding light black three hours Three hours of darkness
that God Almighty would not allow men to behold. Luke chapter 23. In verse 39, there's an event
that we read often. But I want you, I'm gonna read
this. It's Luke 23, verse 39 to 45. Listen to this. One of
the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, if thou
be Christ, Save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked
him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same
condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we
receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done
nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord,
remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said
unto him, Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with me
in paradise. And that's normally where we
stop. Next few verses, verse 44, 45.
And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all
the earth until the ninth hour, and the sun was darkened, and
the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. Now, the Lord had
just been asked, by one of those thieves. Lord, when you enter
into your kingdom, will you remember me? I said, verily, I say unto
you, verily, verily, I say unto you, today you'll be with me. And it was the sixth hour. It
was dark. God Almighty blotted out the
sun. Here is, is, is God is going
to deal with God. concerning the accomplishment
of the will of God. And the Lord Jesus Christ, during
that period of time right there, I want you to turn over to Matthew
27. This is Matthew's account. Here's
what happened. Matthew 27. Matthew 27, 45 to
53, now this is the account that the Spirit of God moved.
Matthew's right. Matthew 27, 45. At about the
ninth hour, here it is, it's been three hours. Well, I'm sorry,
45. Now, from the sixth hour, there
was darkness over all the land till the ninth hour. Right when
that thief asked him, would you remember me? Lord said, you'll
be with me today. And it was about the sixth hour.
And from the sixth hour to the ninth hour, Black, black. Verse 45, Matthew 27, 45, about
the sixth hour. Now from the sixth hour, there
was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about
the ninth hour, three hours, three hours of darkness. Here's
God dealing with God, and God is not going to allow people
to see it. About the ninth hour, Jesus cried
with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, la ma sabachthani. Eli, Eli, la ma sabachthani. That is to say, my God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me? In the book of Psalms, chapter
22, and verse one to three, the scripture says forth, That answer,
Psalms 22, 1 to 3. My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping
me and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime,
but thou hearest not. And in the night season, I am
not silent, but thou art holy. O thou that inhabitest the praises
of Israel. At the ninth hour, the Lord cried
out, my God, my God. Three hours, three hours of darkness. And he cries out, why hast thou
forsaken me? Here's the answer, you're holy,
you're holy. What happened in that three hours?
The Lord knows. God Almighty was dealing with
the Lamb. He was dealing with the one who
was made sin for us. He who knew no sin, we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him. And God blotted it
out before the eyes of men. And God dealt with it, the Father
dealt with His Son. You stay here. You stay here.
You stay here with the ash. Lad and I are going to go yonder
and we're going to worship." What he did was he said, we're
going to go, I'm going to bow. I'm going to bow. I'm going to
prostrate myself before God. That veil was rent during that
time, taught the bottom of the spirit, revealing that the Lord
Jesus Christ, by his shed blood and death, had opened unto the
people, unto his people, the way to God, not through the keeping
of the law, but by faith in him. The earth that was cursed in
Adam's fall did quake, the scripture says, as the earth did quake
in the morning of the Lord's resurrection. The rocks were
rent, and the graves of Many of those, the scripture says,
who died in the faith were opened. They went into the holy city.
What a display of God's power, an open witness of the surety
of the resurrection of God's people unto life. They came out
of the grave just as the Lord will raise up his people out
of the grave, raise up their vile bodies. Abraham told young
men, you abide You stay here. The lad and I
are going there. We're going to worship. And here's
that last wonderful, wonderful part for this evening. We're
going to go yonder. We're going to bow. We're going
to bow. We're going to bow to what God has told me to do. And
we're going to worship God. And the scripture says, and then
he says, and come again to you. We're coming back. We're coming
back. Abraham, though he was told of
God to offer up Isaac, he was persuaded. Turn to Hebrews 11,
and I'm gonna close with this. Hebrews 11, 17. He was told of
the Lord to go and take your son, your only son, to offer
him there for a burnt offering unto me. In his mind, that boy
is dead. But the scripture says that he
truly believed, he believed God was going to raise that boy up.
He was going to kill him. When he raised that knife, we'll
see this, Lord willing, next time. When he raised that knife,
he meant it. He was going to sacrifice him
for a burnt offering. He was going to cut him, cut
his throat. He was going to take him and cut him in pieces. and
put him on top of that altar, put that wood on there, and put
him on top of that altar, and he was gonna offer him unto God. But he said, we're coming back.
The lad and I, we're coming back to you. Hebrews chapter 11, verse
17 and 19, I'll close right here. By faith, Abraham, when he was
tried, offered up Isaac, and he that had received the promises
offered up his only begotten son. whom it was said that in
Isaac shall thy seed be called. Accounting that God, here's the
Spirit of God telling us what Abraham thought. Accounting that
God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which
also he had received him in a figure. Oh, the trial. The trial of Abraham. But oh, the blessing of beholding
the miracle of the grace of God. That would the Lord would send
his only begotten son in there. Lay down his life for his people. I pray God bless these words
to our heart. The Lord's glory and for our
good. Amen, amen. At this time, I'm
going to ask some men if they'll come forward and we'll, we're
gonna worship God. We're gonna worship the Lord
and observing the Lord's table. So if you felt. foundation for why we do what
we're about to do. Paul was moved to say, I received
of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus,
the same night in which he was betrayed, took for him. And when
he had given thanks, he broke it and said, take eat. This is my body. After the same manner, also,
he took the cup and gets up saying, this cup is the New Testament
in my blood. This do ye, as often as you drink
it, in remembrance of me for as often Let's take the first verse of
Amazing Grace and close with a C. Amazing grace, how sweet
the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. was blind.