Let us turn once again to God's
word in Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11, this morning
we were considering the words of verse 7, and so sought to
say something with regards to the faith of Noah, one of that so great cloud of
witnesses that we were speaking of yesterday afternoon we looked
at the faith of Noah as it is declared here in verse 7 and
amongst other things we observed it is what it was a justifying
faith by faith Noah became heir of the righteousness which is
by faith Peter speaks of Noah as a preacher of righteousness,
that great cardinal doctrine of the Protestant Reformation,
that blessed truth that was rediscovered as it was revealed to Martin
Luther in his monkish cell, that the just shall live by faith. We thought then of justifying
faith this morning and I want us now to turn to what he said
here concerning Abraham in the following verses, verse 8 in
Hebrews chapter 11, by faith Abraham when he was called to
go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance
obeyed and he went out not knowing whither he went by faith he sojourned
in the land of promise as in a strange country dwelling in
tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob the heirs with him of the same
promise, for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose
builder and maker is God. And then furthermore concerning
Abraham at verse 17, by faith Abraham when he was tried offered
up Isaac and he that had received the promises offered up his only
begotten son of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed
be caught, accounting that God was able to raise him up even
from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure. The faith of Abraham. And Abraham, of course, is spoken
of in Romans 4 as the father of all them that believe. In the scripture he is the great
pattern of faith. James speaks to us of the patience
or the endurance of Job. Concerning Moses we are told
he was the meekest man upon the face of the earth. These different
characters then were known for these various graces in particular. But of Abraham We see that he
is the great exemplar of faith, the father of all them that believe,
says Paul. They which are of faith, the
same are the children of Abraham. And here do we not see a mark
of that true faith, the faith of Abraham, and we see it in
the trying of his faith that's spoken of at verse 17 following. Both faith itself and the trial
of faith is said to be precious. When Peter writes in his second
epistle, he speaks of that precious faith. He addresses himself to
those who he says have obtained like precious faith with us. And how striking is the expression
that he is using, that they had obtained it. It wasn't something
that they had been able to manufacture of themselves, they couldn't
give themselves faith, they couldn't work faith up in their own souls,
it was something that they had obtained. They had obtained it
from God. It is the gift of God. But the
interesting thing there, in the opening words of that second
epistle of Peter, is that the verb that he uses, as we've said
on other occasions, the verb to obtain, is one that is really
closely associated with the whole idea of the casting of the lot.
You obtain a thing by lot. We did it when we were children,
with our friends we'd draw lots, and one would draw the shortest
straw. It seems to be a chance thing.
But there's nothing of chance in this world. The fictitious
powers of chance and fortune I define. My life's minutest
circumstances subject to His eye, says the hymn writer. And the wise man tells us in
the book of Proverbs how the lot is cast into the lap, but
the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. It is God who appoints
those who shall receive faith, they obtain it at his sovereign
disposal. You see what Peter is saying
then, as he addresses those believers, they had obtained like precious
faith with us, a precious gift that comes from God himself. But as Peter speaks of the preciousness
of the faith, remember how in his first epistle he also makes
mention of the precious trial, the trial of your faith. being
so much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it
be tried with fire to be found unto praise and honour and glory
at the appearing of Jesus Christ. As gold is tried and purified
in the fire, so too faith must be tried, that it might be seen
to be genuine. That's the faith of Abraham.
Well, Abraham's faith was tried by God. We read it there in the
opening words of Genesis 22. God did tempt Abraham. Not tempting in an evil sense. I could not believe it. No man
say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. For God cannot
be tempted with evil, neither tempteth God any man. No, really
what we have there is the trying or the testing, it was God testing
the faith of Abraham. And I want us tonight to turn
in particular to these verses, these three verses in Hebrews
11, verses 17, 18 and 19. The trial of faith by faith,
Abraham when he was tried, offered up Isaac and he that had received
the promises, offered up his only begotten son, of whom it
was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be caught, accounting
that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from whence
also he received him in a figure. Now observe what is proved and
what is discovered in the trial. What was God's proving? What was to be discovered to
Abraham when God dealt with him in this rather remarkable fashion? Well, did he not prove the promise
of God? We're told here in verse 17 that
he had received the promises. He that had received the promises. It all centered in the son that
God was commanding him to take and to offer in sacrifice. It
all centered in Isaac. Isaac was the promised seed. Again there in Romans 4 and verse
21 we read of what he, that is God, had promised. What God had promised. And God
had promised his son. Look at the words of verse 18
here, in Hebrews 11, of whom it was said that in Isaac shall
thy seed be caught. Here is the promised
seed. Again, we have mentioned also
in this chapter, of course, of Sarah, Abraham's wife and her
faith. Verse 11, through faith also
Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed and was delivered
of a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful
who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of
one and him as good as dead so many as the stars of the sky
in multitude and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable. And there in that portion that
we read in In Genesis 22 we see God renewing the promise concerning
his seed and the multitude of his descendants and those descendants
of course are all those who are the faithful ones, all those
men and women of faith. He is the father of all them
that believe. Now the promise then centers
in this seed, this son, that was to be born in a quite remarkable,
we might say miraculous fashion in Isaac. And Isaac is a remarkable
type of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we come, as we've said so
many times, to read the Old Testament Scriptures, we're not just reading
it, in the way of study to inform our minds there is some profit
of course in us studying the scriptures and seeking to understand
them in that very literal sense and we know that there's much
that is historical in the word of God but when we come to the
word of God we want to understand the spiritual significance of
these things. We want to enter in some measure
into the great mystery of the scriptures. The Lord Jesus himself
tells us that they testify of him. He speaks to the Jews, remember,
search the Scriptures. In them ye think that ye have
eternal life, and these are they that testify of me. So it does
not surprise us to discover that this son that was born to Abraham,
this son of promise, is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now
observe some four things with regards to the type. First of
all, the seed. What are we told concerning this
child? There, in verse 11, through faith,
also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed. That is the conception of this
son Isaac. However, When we turn to the
chapter like Galatians, Galatians chapter 3, we are told that the
true seed of Abraham is not Isaac but the Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 3.16 He saith not to
seed as of many but as of one and to thy seed which is Christ. Christ is the true seed of Abraham. Christ is the true seed of the
woman. Remember the first gospel promise. Theologians refer to it as the
Proto-Evangelium. The very first promise of the
gospel is in Genesis chapter 3. that historic account of the
entrance of sin into the world when we are told about Adam and
Eve transgressed the commandment of God and Sincai. They fell. Oh and how great was the fall.
But in that very chapter in which we read of the entrance of sin
we have the promise of salvation. The first promise of the Lord
Jesus Christ is there in Genesis 3.15 when the Lord God speaks
to the serpent and curses the serpent. He says this, I will
put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and
her seed. It shall bruise thy head and
thou shalt bruise his heel the seed of the woman and that is
one of the names that he has given to the Lord Jesus Christ
he is the one who is being spoken of the seed of the woman and
it is that same seed you see that he has spoken of here in
Hebrews 11 through faith also Sarah herself received strength
to conceive seed Isaac is a type a type of the Lord Jesus Christ
himself. But then also, thinking of the
type, we see it not only in the seed, but also in the birth. The birth of Isaac was truly
a miracle. This woman, Sarah, is delivered
of a child when she was past age. She had passed the age of
child-bearing and she was barren. She had no child. She would never
have a child. But God said not so. Nothing
is impossible with God. She gave birth to this son when
she was past child-bearing age. It was a miraculous birth. And
is it not pointing us to the Lord Jesus Christ. There are
many such births in the Old Testament. Rachel was barren. In a sense,
the birth of Joseph, you see, points to the Lord Jesus Christ.
All of these are anticipating that greatest of miracles. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and shall be with child. and shall bring forth a son and
thou shalt call his name Immanuel Isaac I say in his birth is a
type of the Lord Jesus Christ who was born a real man in possession
of a real body and a real soul a true human nature he was born
of a virgin when God gave his son Again the words of Isaiah
in Isaiah 9, unto us a child is born, he says. Unto us a son
is given. Oh the son is given, this is
the eternal son. The son is not born, he is the
eternal son of the eternal father. The glorious second person in
the trinity. But the child is born. What was
conceived there in the womb of the Virgin Mary, of course, was
that human nature that was to be joined. In the great mystery
of the Incarnation, joined to the Eternal Son of God, the Holy
Ghost shall come upon them. The power of the Highest shall
overshadow them. Therefore also that Holy Thing
that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Isaac, I say, is is a type, a
type of Christ. The seed, the seed of the woman,
the seed of Abraham. The remarkable conception, the
birth of this child pointing to that great miracle of the
virgin birth. But then also is he not a type
of Christ when we think of sacrifice? Look at verse 17, By faith Abraham,
when he was tried, offered up Isaac. And he that had received
the promises, offered up his only begotten son. Oh, we read it there in that
22nd chapter, what Abraham did. He took the young men with him,
his servants. And he tells them to stay there
by the staff and he'll go off with his son Isaac to worship
God. And he took the wood and the
fire and a knife in his hand and they went to Moriah, the
Mount Moriah. You know it's the very mount
upon which the temple of the Lord was to stand. Jerusalem
built upon those two mounts, Mount Zion and Mount Moriah.
That was the place where he was to make the sacrifice. That was
the place, of course, where the sacrifices would be offered throughout
the Old Testament dispensation after God gave his ceremonial
laws through Moses. He took the wood, he took the
fire in his hand, he had a knife. He laid the wood upon the altar
and he bound Isaac and he laid him there upon the wood. and he would have sacrificed
him. Isn't it a type of the Lord Jesus Christ when we see them
going, Abraham there with his son and the wood. We read of
the Lord Jesus bearing his cross he went forth unto a place called
the place of a skull called in the Hebrew language Golgotha. Oh, it is such a remarkable sight. There's that lovely hymn, there
are many lovely hymns of course, but I suppose we all have our
favourite hymns, but I do like that hymn that we sometimes sing
at the ordinance, 950, what objects this, which meets my eyes without
Jerusalem's gates, which fills my mind with such surprises,
wonder to create, who can it be, the groves beneath, the cross
of massive woods, whose souls are wound in pains of death and
body bathed in blood. Is this the man? Can this be
he the prophets have foretold? Should we transgressers number
thee, and for their crimes be sold? Yes, now I know, tis he,
tis he, tis Jesus, God's dear Son, wrapped in humanity to die
for crimes that I have done. O blessed sight! O lovely form,
to sinful souls like me I'd creep beside him as a worm, and see
him bleed for me, I'd hear his groans and view each wound, until
with happy joy I on his breast a place have found sweetly to
lean upon. Do we not have all of that anticipated,
foreshadowed in what we read there in Genesis chapter 22.
He called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will
provide. Had he not said to his son Isaac
as they went, that God would provide himself a sacrifice.
And God did provide a sacrifice. The angel spoke from heaven,
the son must not be slain, there's a substitute. There's a ram caught
by its horns in the thicket and that is to be offered, that is
to be sacrificed in the place of Isaac. Now that 22nd chapter
is such a remarkable portion of Scripture. Right at the beginning,
in the very first book, we see the great truth of substitutionary
atonement. The Ramaphah in the place of
the son Isaac. But it was as if the son was
sacrificed. But it does set before us that great doctrine of Christ's
substitutionary death. How He died in the room and in
the stead of His people. How He bore in His own person
that punishment that was there just deserved. Isaac, I say,
is a type not only of the birth of Christ, the miracle of the
virgin birth, but also a type of Christ's sacrifice and all
that that sacrifice accomplished for the sin. But then I said
four things and the fourth thing surely is the resurrection. Isaac
strangely is a type of the resurrection. Though he offered up his son
That's what it says in verse 17 by Faith Abraham when he was
tried, offered up, Isaac. And he that had received the
promises, offered up his only begotten son. It was as if he
had sacrificed the son. What do we read in verse 19?
Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the
dead. From whence also he received
him in a figure. Here is the figure you see. Here
is that that points us to the Lord Jesus Christ, points us
to Christ's resurrection from the dead. Oh, that precious truth. Now is Christ risen again from
the dead and become the first fruits of them that sleep. The resurrection of Christ All of these things we see in
Isaac is a type, a remarkable type of Christ. Christ, the seed of the woman,
the seed of Abraham. Christ in the miracle of the
virgin birth. Christ in that great substitutionary
sacrifice that he made at Calvary. Christ, the first fruits of them
that slept. Christ in the resurrection. All God's promises, you see,
are embodied in the Lord Jesus Christ. He received the promises,
Abraham received the promises. The promise is all centred, as
I said, in Isaac. And all the promises of God to
us are centred in him who is the Antichrist. If Isaac is the
type, Christ is the anti-type, he's the fulfilment. And what
does Paul say in 2 Corinthians? All the promises of God in him,
that is, in Christ are yea, and in him are men. To the glory
of God by us. Oh, the great promise of God.
Abraham's story. He tells the Jews in John chapter
8, your father Abraham rejoiced to see my death and he saw it
and was glad. When did he see the day of Christ?
Why he saw it in those things that we read in Genesis chapter
22. He saw the day of Christ, he
was glad. He saw all the promises. And
this is what the the testing, the trying of his faith brings
him to you. He proves, he proves the promise
of God. And when God tries his people,
this is what he is doing, that they might prove his promises.
When he brings trials and troubles and difficulties and reverses
into our lives, he proves the trustworthiness of his own word,
his own promise. Then we have to lean upon it.
Then we have to learn to lean even harder upon Him who is the
Great Promiser. But there is not only the promise
of God, is there? There is also here God's performance. He performs the thing that He
had promised. Verse 19, accounting that God's was able to raise him up even
from the dead. God was able. That was the persuasion
that Abraham had. In Romans 4 and verse 21 it says
he was able to perform. He believed that God's was able
to perform the word that he has given, the promise that he had
made. That in this seed, this son Isaac, the blessing would
come. And he believed that, even when
he goes to sacrifice his son, he is persuaded that still God
will fulfill that promise. Look at verse 21 there in Romans
4, being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able
also to perform. Therefore it was imputed to him
for righteousness. What's imputed to Abraham for
righteousness is what we read up there in verse 21. It's what
God performs, the promise that God performs. That's the blessed
object of his faith. that God has promised and God
will perform what he has promised. And that is the thing that is
imputed to him. It's not Abraham's faith that
is his righteousness. It's what God has done. We sang, did we not, in our opening
praise of that God who does perform all his promises, sing the sweet
promise of His grace and the performing God. Oh, what has
God done? He has raised the Lord Jesus
Christ again from the dead. That is the truth, as I've said,
that is declared here with regards to Abraham's faith in verse 19. By faith, we read of Abraham,
accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the
dead, from whence also he received him in a figure." Isaac is raised, directing us to the
resurrection of Christ. And what is the resurrection
of Christ? It's the vindication of Christ. As Paul says when he writes,
In the opening chapter of the epistle to the Romans Christ
is declared, is marked out, is set apart, declared to be the
Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by
the resurrection from the dead. In the resurrection God has set
himself upon all that work that Christ has done. He has accepted
that work of obedience obedience unto death, even the death of
the cross. The Lord Jesus Christ is vindicated
in the resurrection. This is what Paul is saying.
Is he not in 1 Corinthians 15? Is Christ being not risen, then
is our faith dying? Or the resurrection is the vindication.
This is why we come together in this fashion, Lord's Day by
Lord's Day. We keep this day, the first day
of the week, as our Sabbath day, do we not? It's the day wherein
we meet together. And why so? Because we want to
mark that glorious accomplishment of the Lord Jesus Christ. We
know that God, in creation, made all things out of nothing in
six days. He could have made all things
out of nothing in one moment of time. But by degrees, God's
work, we believed through six days. And on the seventh day
God rested from all his labours and God sanctified the day, set
the day apart. He did not set it apart for himself,
he set it apart for his creature. And so we see there that there
was a day to be kept and in that day we remember God's great works
of creation. But we, in this gospel dispensation,
we remember a greater work of God, greater than the work of
creation. We remember all that the Lord
Jesus Christ accomplished. He has accomplished a righteousness,
has he not? Being found in fashion as a man,
we are told, he became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross. Oh, we remember that righteousness
that was wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ. The righteousness
that God requires is a perfect righteousness. In Deuteronomy
chapter 6. I remember this verse. It's strange.
It's a verse that I remember the late pastor Mr. Matronola directing me to. The
most striking verse really, Deuteronomy 6.25, it shall be our righteousness. if we observe to do all these
commandments before the Lord our God as He hath commanded
us. This is the righteousness that
justifies the sinning of sin. It shall be our righteousness
if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord
our God as He hath commanded us. All of them. All of them
must be fulfilled, perfectly fulfilled. And if a man keeps
the whole law, says James, and yet offends in one point, he
is guilty of all. If there is one point of offence,
one issue wherein God's commandment is broken, all is spoiled. There is no righteousness at
all. The righteousness must be perfect, And he must be righteous
not only in terms of the external, not only the keeping of the law
outwardly, but that keeping of the law inwardly. Because Paul
tells us the law is spiritual. It's a spiritual law. It has
to do not only with outward actions, but it has to do also with inward
affection. It's got to be kept. And this is the righteousness,
you see, that the sinner can never perform. This is why the
sinner is condemned. There's no salvation in the law. But Christ, Christ has fulfilled
all righteousness. Christ has honoured the law.
Christ has magnified the law. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness. to everyone that believes. He has honoured that Lord of
God in every one of its precepts. He has perfectly, completely
obeyed every commandment of God and he has honoured the Lord
not only in respect to the preceptive part, the doing of the commandments,
but he was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
The accursed death curses everyone that hangs on a tree. And Christ
was made a curse. Christ was made sin who knew
no sin that his people might be made the righteousness of
God in him. He has honoured the law also
then with respect to all its dreadful punishments and penalties. He has died as a substitute.
or the performances of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is that
great message that we see proclaimed by the apostles, is it not? The
doctrine of justification by faith. This is what they preach. The same as Noah preached. Noah was a preacher of righteousness.
Paul was a preacher of righteousness. We see him there in Acts 13 as
Antioch. And what does he declare in his
preaching? He preaches Christ. By him all
the believesses are justified from all things that they could
not be justified from by the deeds of the law. All they cannot
justify themselves, they cannot make themselves righteous. All
righteousness is in Christ. And now God, you see, has set
his seal upon that work of Christ, those accomplishments of Christ.
He has executed all the work that the Father gave him to do.
The Father has raised him from the dead. The Father has received
him now into the very heavens. And there he is exalted at God's
right hand. And so Christ, you see, is not
only the one who has accomplished salvation, Christ is the one
who also applies the salvation that he has accomplished. What does he say in the course
of his preaching? Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and ye shall find. Knock
and it shall be opened unto you. Everyone that asketh receiveth.
He that seeketh findeth. To him that knocketh it shall
be opened. Christ is the one who ensures
that all the promises are performed. All the promises of God are in
Him. And all the promises of God in
Him are not yay and nay. He doesn't speak simply in terms
of possibilities, probabilities. There's no ifs and buts and maybes. All the promises of God in him
are yea, and in him are men, to the glory of God. Christ ensures
that the promises are performed, that salvation is applied. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he says, he will
give it you. Do you believe that? Do you believe what the Lord
Jesus Christ says there in John 16? Whatsoever you ask the Father
in his name, he says, he will give it. And he prefixes that
with two verily's. Truly, truly, I say unto you,
this is the word of him who is the Amen, the faithful and true
witness. I say unto you, Whatsoever ye
shall ask the Father in my name. Do you believe it? That's faith, is it not? That's
the faith of Abraham. He accounted that God was able.
He really believed that God would perform. Able also to perform,
we read there in Romans 4.21. Do we believe that? Do I really
believe that? Let's make it that personal,
not do you believe, do I really believe that? Let us remember what Christ's
position is now. He is the Great Head of His people,
the Great Mediator of the Covenant. What do we read concerning Christ
as the Mediator in Romans? In Romans chapter
5, And verse 10 it says, If when
we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son,
much more being reconciled we shall be saved by His life. If
when we were enemies we were reconciled by the death of his
son, that's his work upon the cross, a great work of reconciliation. Those who were enemies of God,
alienated from God, far off from God, he reconciles and brings
the sinner back to God. If that's what he did by his
death, much more, says Paul, being reconciled we shall be
saved by his life. What is this life of which Paul
is speaking? It's that mediatorial life, it's
Christ now in heaven. as the God-man. He has risen
from the dead, he has ascended into heaven and he is at God's
right hand. And what does he do? What is
his constant business in heaven? Why is that he presents his prayer. He is able also to save them
to the uttermost that come unto God by him. If you come to God
by him He saves to the uttermost. He gives the Holy Spirit, Him,
being by the right hand of God, exalted and having received of
the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, Peter says, He has
shared abroad this which ye ne'er see and hear on the day of Pentecost.
Christ gives the Holy Spirit. There in heaven, He lives you
see. He lives to give the Spirit. He comes as the Spirit of Christ.
He gives repentance. Him hath God exalted with His
right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance
to Israel and the forgiveness of sin. All this is the exalted
Saviour's Son. If when we were enemies we were
reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled
we shall be saved by His life all that life in heaven, do you
account that God is able also to perform? This is the face
of Abraham you see. Now Abraham's face was so proved
there on Mount Lariah when he offered up his son Isaac and
received him in a figure from the dead. We read much of Abraham, of course,
here in the Scriptures. In the very next book, the book
of James, we also have mention of this same man. What does James say concerning
Abraham? Was not Abraham our father justified
by works, when he had offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? See also our faith wrought with
his works, and by works was faith made perfect. and the scripture
was fulfilled which said Abram believed God and it was imputed
unto him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God.
Now what is the work that he's spoken of here? It's not the
work of the law it's not the work of the law
in a sense what Abram is tested in is the breaking of the law
surely to sacrifice his son would be the act of murder, and they
shall do no murder, they shall not kill. He's not justified
by the works of the law. No, what we see here in Abraham,
you see, is the blessed reality of his faith. It is faith that
is justified, it is faith that is being proved. God's trying,
God's testing his faith. and testing his faith with regards
to the promise. And Abram believes God. Oh, nothing
is impossible with God. You believe that. You say to
me, how can I be saved? It's impossible for me to be
saved. It's not. Nothing's impossible with God.
That's the faith of Abram. Or that we might be those friends
who are truly the children of Abram, them that believe. by
faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac, and he that
had received the promises offered up his only begotten Son, of
whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called, accounting
that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from whence
also he received him in a figure. May the Lord bless his word to
us for his namesake. Amen. 233, the tyrant is proven 767. A sinner that truly believes
and trusts in his crucified God, his justification received, redemption
in full through his blood, for thousands and thousands of foes.
against him in malice unite. The rage he through Christ came
upon us led forth by the spirit to fight. 233