All right, I want to take, I
want to take our Bibles, turn with me to the book of Genesis
chapter 22. Genesis chapter 22. The passage
that we deal with this evening sets forth in type, shadow, the
absolute glory of the Father's love for his people through the
sacrifice of his precious Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And in
our text, and I'm going to look at the first two verses, this
chapter especially, Genesis chapter 22, there's so much, and I'm
going to just go ahead and say that this will probably be two,
three, maybe four, four different messages out of this. There's
just so much here and I don't, I don't want to rush it, Lord
willing, I want to take and let's just consider this chapter very,
very reverently. But I would like to deal with
the first two verses of this because in these first two verses,
the marvel of God's wisdom and the sustaining grace of Almighty
God is magnificently displayed in this man, Abraham. I pray that the Spirit of God
guide us. Now in the second verse, we're
going to see where the Lord instructs Abraham to take his son, Isaac,
and offer him for a burnt offering. Now, again, I want to reverently
touch upon the significance of the burnt offering this evening.
But Lord willing, I'd like to consider more deeply this glorious
offering, this offering that was offered as a picture and
type of the offering, the willing offering, the willing sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ unto His Father. So, Lord willing,
I'm going to preach one of the messages this Sunday called The
Burnt Offering. But I want to deal with these
first two verses and may the Lord be pleased to speak to our
hearts. The scripture says in verse 1,
It came to pass after these things. Now, how long after these things,
or exactly what these things did encompass, we're not told. Possibly it was that these things
meant more than the recent encountering that Abraham had with Abimelech. You know, we just read, studied
last time, about Abraham and Abimelech's covenant. They made a covenant and it was
sealed with a sacrifice and then the seven new lambs and everything. I'm sure that these things could
go much further back than even that. Even back to the time when
the Lord was pleased to call Abraham out of his country, his
land, where he was born out of Ur. of the Cowdeys and maybe
after being called out, God told him to leave, leave his family.
And how about the painful separation between Abraham and Lot? Remember
when they had the squabble with the herdsmen because of the grass
and there was contention and Abraham That was a trial. Family,
family problems are tough. They're tough. And here, Abraham's,
Abraham, the uncle, Lot, his nephew, and Abraham came to Lot,
and he said, Lot, I mean, here's this squabble over grass, grass. And Abraham told him, he said,
look, we're brethren. We're brethren. We're brethren. He said, you take what you want. Whatever you take, you take what
you want. I'll take whatever's left. You go to the right, I'll
go to the left. You go to the north, I'll go to the south.
And that was a trial. And Lot set his sights, set his
eyes toward the plains of Sodom, well watered. Well, from that
going pitching his tent towards Sodom. Next thing you know he's
in Sodom. And then the next thing you know
he's caught up in a battle, war, with these kings and he's held
captive and all of his family and his livestock, everything
he's got, taken from him. Abraham finds out about it. And
Abraham goes and he rescues Lot and delivers out of the hands
of Lot's captive and he gives it all back to him and he's found
to be back in Sodom. And then after that painful separation
because of the herdman and the rescue, then the next thing we
know is that Abraham goes through this emotional stress of having
a son by a handmaid of Sarah's. And as soon as the son is born
out of Sarah's handmaid, Hagar, having this son immediately,
there's animosity between Sarah and Hagar. And finally, then
by God's goodwill, pleasure, according to his promise, the
Lord gives Abraham and Sarah a son according to promise. And
Abraham was assured of the Lord because as soon as as Isaac was
born. Here it goes. Here's the animosity
again. And Sarah said, you cast the bondwoman
out and her son. Her son's not gonna be heir with
my son. And Abraham loved Ishmael. That
was his son. But the Lord assured Abraham,
hearken to the voice of your wife. You cast her out. Well,
he cast the woman and her son out. So then the contention with
his wife telling him that Sarah was his sister with the Bimelech
and then having to come to a Bimelech and they're going to have a settling
of that problem where some of the Bimelech's men had taken
a well. So Abraham's life from the time
that he's made known to us in the scripture trial, trial, trial,
trial. That's the life of a believer. That's the life of God's people.
So it came to pass after these things. What things we don't
know, but whatever it was, the scripture says that God did tempt. Abraham. The Lord didn't tempt
Abraham to evil. James 1.13 says, Let no man say
when he's tempted, I'm tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted
with evil, neither tempteth he any man. God doesn't tempt men
to evil. Sodom tempted Lot, you know. The well-watered plains of Sodom
tempted Lot, but God didn't tempt him. But this word here, it doesn't
mean tempt to sin, but it's test. God's going to test him. God's
going to prove him. Men are tempted to sin because
of the world. Scripture says in 1 John 2, 16,
for all that is in the world. The lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eyes, the pride of life is not of the Father, but is
of the world. So tempting done by the Lord
was not to sin, but rather to prove Abraham's faith and God's
faithfulness. The faith of God's elect is going
to be shown to be of a heavenly origin, that which the Lord gives
faith, it's given unto you to believe, is going to be tried. It's going to be proven. It's
going to be shown to abide through the fire of God's triumphs. This is the Lord's way. This
is this is the way of the Lord. Those loved of God are going
to be scourged. They're going to be chastened
for the proving again of their faith given from above and God's
faithfulness. He tests us because he's a jealous
God. I'm a jealous God, one who is
the holy guardian of his glory concerning his people as their
savior. And he proves the faithful reverence
that has been imparted to his own. Deuteronomy 8.2 says, And
thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee
these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee. You're going
to remember. You're going to remember. The
Lord said all the way which the Lord led you all these forty
years to humble you. prove thee to know what was in
thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandment or no. So the life of a believer is
going to be shown to be the life of trials and tribulations and
chastisements. It is the loving way of the Lord,
to test, to prove, to direct his own and without these trials
of the heart. I've always been intrigued since the Lord revealed
himself to me. You know, trials and tribulations,
testings and provings, we know that believers and unbelievers,
they all have problems. They all get sick. They all have
family problems, money problems, whatever. They all have them.
But I'll tell you, the trial and the testings is of the heart. Right here. A believer knows. He knows. He sees his shortcoming. He desires, he wants to be found
faithful. He wants to be found faithful.
And when he sees the inconsistencies in himself, he knows it. He knows
it. He's convicted of it. Unbelievers? No. They're convicted of being
caught. You know? Have you ever seen
somebody that's in court, they're getting ready to go before the
judge and now, now they're going to start, I am so sorry for what
I've done. No, you're sorry because you
got caught. Before you were caught, you weren't
that sorry. But not so with a believer. A believer, he's tried and tested
and proven in his heart. He says his David against thee
and thee only have I sinned. You've done this evil in your
sight. That's a believer. But if you be without these trials
of the heart, without these trials that are sent to expose us, to
test us, to try us, if you be without these trials, it's evident. Hebrews chapter 12, you know
what I'm getting ready to read. Hebrews 12, verses 6 to 8. Hebrews
12, 6-8, For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth
every son whom he receiveth. If you endure chastening, God
dealeth with you as with sons. And what son is he whom the Father
chasteneth not? But if you be without chastisement,
If there's no testing of the heart, trying of the heart, trying
and proving of your love and your faithfulness to Him, if
you be without that, whereof all are partakers, then are you
bastards and not sons. You're not legitimate. You're
not the Lord's. God's people, it's not because
they're afraid of getting caught. They hate the thought of disrespecting
the Lord. That's what they had. So Abraham,
like all God's sheep, was a man that knew the loving hand of
God's trials, tribulations. So when the Lord was pleased
to tempt Abraham, he did that which he does with all of his
sheep. They hear. They hear. John 10, 27. My sheep hear my voice. I've told you many, many times.
You tell an unbeliever, you quote that scripture to them, my sheep
hear my voice. I've said before, and you understand
this, I've never heard the Lord's voice with this ear. I've never
heard it. But according to his word, he
said, my sheep hear my voice. Not with the natural ear, but
again with the heart. And you can't explain that to
somebody. The Lord must reveal that to
them, but he gives them the ability to hear through the preaching
of the gospel. While as I'm preaching or any
other preacher that the Lord has called to preach, you hear
and what you hear, it bears witness to your heart that these things
are so according to the scriptures. That's how you know. They're
consistent with what you've heard before. That's the voice of the
Lord speaking. So they hear the voice of the
Lord in the gospel. They hear it in Providence. When
they go through these trials and tribulations, the Lord's
speaking to them. And he said just what we just
read. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth. And
it's brought back to their heart. And they remember. They remember
that's the Lord's voice. in the searching of the scriptures.
So God did tempt Abraham and he said unto him, Abraham, and
he said, behold, here am I. Did Abraham hear him verbally? Some did at the time of our Lord.
There was a voice heard from heaven. I know, I know this record. Did Abraham hear? I don't know. I don't know. But he heard him.
And he answered him. He answered. He said unto him,
Abraham. And he said, behold, here I am. According to the Lord's good
pleasure to speak to Abraham and that God-given ability to
hear, Abraham answered. He answered. when you pray. You truly believe. You do believe
the Lord hears. You believe that. You know He
does. And as you speak to Him you're
conversing in your heart with one that you know. You know. And there's communion. There's
communion. You get into your closet by yourself
and you He said, call upon the Father. The Father which hears
in secret. He'll reward you openly. But
there's communion there. You're talking. Abraham, behold,
here I am. Oh, the sweet communion that
God's people have with him. John 10, 3 says to him, the porter
openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his sheep
by name, and leadeth them out. There is sweet communion. So the Lord called, and Abraham,
a man ready to be taught, a man ready to hear, a man that now
possesses a hearing ear and a new heart from above, he's ready
to answer the Lord. He answers, behold, I'm here.
Here was one not only ready to hear, but ready to obey. Here
I am. My sheep, hear my voice, they
follow me. They follow. Ready to surrender
to him who is his Lord. In verse 2, and he says, Take
now thy son, thine only son Isaac. God did not recognize Ishmael
being his son, I promise. Take now thy son, thine only
son, God recognized the son that God gave him. Son whom thou lovest,
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. I read that passage of scripture
and as I read it, this passage of scripture came to my mind,
Job 33, 13. Why dost thou strive against
him? For he giveth not account of any of his matters. The Lord
told Abraham, I want you to take Isaac. I want you to take your
son, your only son, the son that you love, and you go to the land
of Moriah and offer him there or a burnt offering upon one
of the mountains that I'll show you. The Lord's people hear,
and they obey. Now, again, knowing that whom
the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourges every son that he
receiveth, knowing that the trial of your faith being more precious
than any gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire,
and this is a trial by fire, might be found unto praise and
honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Knowing these
things, it gives great consolation and peace in the midst of the
trials that we shall suffer. Not that the trial does it weigh
heavily on a believer. The Apostle Paul writing in Hebrews
12 11 says now no chastening for the present seemeth to be
joyous. You think you think that word
from the Lord when he heard that you think that it had no effect
on Abraham? Oh, You take your son, your only
son, the son that you love, and you offer him unto me for a burnt
offering. Lord willing, when we look at
the law of the burnt offering, Lord willing, this Sunday, and
we behold how the burnt offering was to be offered. We're going to know a little
bit, Lord willing, a little bit more about what was set forth
here. No chastening for the present
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward it yielded
the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised
thereby. Here we behold that the Lord
was pleased to set forth in shadow and type, that which the Lord
Jesus would certainly fulfill. Isaac is going to magnify the
glory of the Lord in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. But
here is the trial that Abraham is going to have to suffer. And
in this trial, I want you to offer him unto me for a burnt
offering, a burnt offering. We're going to learn that the
accepted sacrifice that God was going to accept wasn't going
to be an animal. The blood of bulls and goats
is never going to take away sin. The offering required of God
would not be the son of Abraham's flesh. It's going to be the offering
of the son of God's promise. picture of the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the promised Messiah. So the word of the Lord to Abraham
was, and just looking at the beauty of these words. He said,
take now thy son. Now, it wasn't going to be sometime
in the future. God had an appointed time for
Isaac to be laid upon the altar and there was an appointed time
for the Lord Jesus Christ Lay down his life You know for so
long John 7 6 to 9 The Lord would say and this I'm gonna read one
of the passages John chapter 7 verse 6 to 9 Scripture says
Jesus said unto them my time is not yet come But your time
is all way ready The world cannot hate you, but me it hateth, because
I testify of it that the works thereof are evil. Do you know
that verse I just read right there? This is why the world
hates God's people. The world cannot hate you, but
it hates me, but me it hateth, because I testify of it that
the works thereof are evil. Whenever you tell those of the
world, this is the world's religion, preach the gospel to them and
you're testifying against what they believe. They're believing
that God is waiting on them and he said this is why the world
hates, why they hated him. He said before they hated you.
Then Jesus said unto them my time is not yet come your time
is always ready the world cannot hate you but it but me it hated
because I testify of it that the works thereof are evil. Go
ye up into the feast, I go not up yet unto the feast, for my
time is not yet come. So there was a time when the
Lord, his time wasn't ready. God's gonna show Abraham through
this sacrifice, there is an appointed time. Take now thy son, whenever
the Lord's time was come. Remember when he told his disciples,
you go and you find this man, you tell him, the master will
eat the Passover at your house for his time is come. He said now, he said back in
chapter 22 verse 2, take now thy son, thine only son. Take not an ox, not an animal,
not another son of another part of the household. It's not your
money. not your time. It's not your
talents. This is what I want. I want yourself. Take thy son, your only son. You see the beauty
of this setting forth the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Take
thy son, and only son, whom thou lovest. Oh, the love of the father
for the son, son for the father, the spirit. Take thine son, thine
only son, whom thou lovest. God would have nothing less than
Abraham's heart. Nothing less. Proverbs 23, 26,
my son, give me thine Give me your heart. Most all of us here are parents. Which would be more painful for
you? You, to have your life taken,
or for one of your kids? And you'd be the culprit. You'd
be the one, you'd be the instrument. What's gonna be painful? Give me your son, your heart. All the trial suffered by a believer
when the Lord is pleased to place his hand upon that which is most
dear to our heart and say, this is what I want. This is what
the father gave. God so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten son. My friend, hold loosely the things of this
world. Hold them loosely. We behold
the beauty of the Father giving His Son. He's telling Abraham,
now this is what I'm going to want you to do. The Son of the
Father's heart, the Lord Jesus Christ before the Father. ever
before him, set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the
earth was, the one in whom the Father was well pleased. Here
was a foreshadowing of what God would do. He spared not his own
son, but delivered him up for us all. Through Abraham, we're
going to behold what God demands. I want you to take your son,
your only son, son 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. Get thee into the land
of Moriah. That word, that name Moriah,
I found it to mean scene of Yah, J-A-H, scene of Yah. God, or shown of God, or the
revelation of Jehovah. I want you to go to the land
of Moriah. This is a very significant place. It says in 2 Chronicles 3, 1
concerning this on Mount Moriah. Mount Moriah was in the land
of Moriah. the significance of where he
was going to have to sacrifice Isaac. 2 Chronicles 3 then Solomon
began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah
where the Lord appeared unto David his father in the place
that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan the
Jebusite. Now I want you to go to the land
of Moriah and in time on Mount Moriah Solomon was going to build
a temple there in Jerusalem. And right outside of Jerusalem
is where the Lord Jesus Christ was going to be sacrificed. Lay
down his life. This is where I want you to take
your son, your only son. Sacrifice him unto me. So Abraham
was to take him and offer him for a burnt offering. God would
show him exactly which mountain he would offer his son upon.
Not only the time of God's choosing, but the place of God's choosing,
exactly picturing where the Lord Jesus Christ would be crucified. Very possibly the same, that's
what most writers think, very possibly the same place. So in
closing, not only is Abraham tried, and proven by God's command
to offer his son unto the Lord. But how he was going to offer
him as a burnt offering. Now again, let me reiterate. Lord willing, I'll consider this
burnt offering in detail. If you'd like to read it, the
law of the burnt offering is found in Leviticus chapter 1,
verses 1 to 9. If you would like to go and read
those chapters, those first nine verses, Leviticus 1, verses 1
to 9. This is the offering that the
Lord commanded. It was an offering that was set
forth to be a sweet savor unto the Lord. It was an offering
which set forth the willingness of the Lord Jesus Christ to lay
down His life for His sheep, His willingness finished the
work that the Father had given Him to completely give Himself
unto the Father for the redemption of His sheep. The complete surrender
of Himself in unreserved devotion unto His Father. In the burnt
offering, the people of God behold the Lord Jesus Christ as their
glorious, willing representative to die for them. put away their
guilt. Abraham is going to be tried
and tested. And I pray that as we go through
this chapter that the Lord please be pleased to open our eyes to
behold the beauty, the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ for
his honor and our good. Amen. Amen. All right. David, if you'll come a little