Reading first a passage from
Genesis 22, remember our title, Two Sons Not Spared? And I bet you know who they are
already. But in Genesis chapter 22, let me read verse 10 through
13. You know that this is when God
said for Abraham to take Isaac and sacrifice him on a mount
that He would lead him to. Well, look at verse 10 through
verse 13. And Abraham stretched forth his
hand and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the
Lord called unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And
he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand
upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him. For now I
know that thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast not withheld thy
son thine only from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes
and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in a thicket
by his horns. And Abraham went up and took
the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead
of his son. All right, in Romans 8 then,
31 through 33, what shall we say then to these things? If
God be for us, who shall be against us? He that spared not his own
son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with
him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth." Now,
in both of those, we have a son not spared. Now of all the types
of our Lord in the Old Testament, Isaac comes nearer in one sense
of the word, and we'll see that in a moment. He gives us a very
clear type of the Lord's Christ. No one does than Isaac and Abraham
and their dealings one with another. For in the offering up of Isaac,
we are given one of the clearest foreshadowing of the death and
the resurrection of our Christ or the God-man to be found anywhere
in the Old Testament. Let's look at some things that
are unique about each one of these two sons. Both of them
were unique because they were deeply loved by their father. They were greatly loved. They
were the son of their father's love, the favorite of the father. Both were born in a unique way,
not according to the natural order of nature. One of a kind
work it was that brought each one of these into the world.
How amazing, with Isaac's birth, when God turned back the time
of life to Sarah. God, in a miracle, turned back
the life of time to Sarah, and she conceived a son in her old
age. Genesis chapter 18 and verse
10. And never before and never since
is there a record in the scripture that this was done. Though God
often opened the womb of barren women to bear, yet to Sarah He
did return to her the time of life. He restored her capacity
to conceive and to bear, so that Isaac was born of a woman that
never before had borne a child into the world. With Christ,
God did give a supernatural conception in the womb of Mary, one also
who never before had borne seed, a virgin woman. without man. Mary conceived the humanity of
the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit did conceive
the humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ in the womb of the Virgin
Mary. Again, both of these, Isaac and
the Lord Jesus Christ, were long-promised special sons. It was a long interval
that passed between the first promise of them and the actual
birth of each one of them in their own due time. Again, God gave command concerning
their names. and that before they were ever
born. Genesis 17 and 19, Thus shall
thou call His name Isaac. In Matthew 1 and verse 21, Thou
shalt call His name Jesus, Joshua, Savior, because He shall save
His people from their sin. Again, we notice that in both
of the cases, God set the time of their birth. that there was
an appointed time. Genesis chapter 21 and verse
2, God said, at the set time will I return again and Sarah
shall bear a son. In Galatians chapter 4 and verse
4, it was when the fullness of time was come that God sent forth
His Son into this world. Isaac carried the wood for the
fire to become His sacrifice upon His own back, Genesis. Chapter 22 and verse 6, He claved
the wood. Isaac, bear upon his back the
wood, carrying it up the mountain to the place of sacrifice. And that reminds us that our
Lord, when He first went out from the judgment seat or hall
of Pilate, He went out bearing His cross. John chapter 19 and
verse 17. And some have pointed out that
both of them were sacrificed upon a mount. And perhaps most
significant of all of these things is that both of them were delivered
up by their Father unto death, Abraham to Isaac and God unto
the Lord Jesus Christ. We learn in Genesis 22, which
by the way, is a very rich passage of Scripture, and verse 9 and
verse 10, that Abraham bound Isaac to the altar. Then he took
the knife in his hand that he might slay. Then we read that
God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in Romans chapter 8 and
verse 32, spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for
us all. And then, of course, after the
experience of death, both of them were raised up to life again. Isaac, only in type, because
he did not actually die. Hebrews 11 and verse 19. Christ,
though, as an actual victor over death and a conqueror of the
grave. Romans 1, 4, declared to be the
Son of God by power, by the resurrection from the dead. And as the type,
the other the antitype. Isaac the type in Christ, the
fulfillment of that type. One figuratively and picturized,
the other literal, and actually dying at the hands of his father. And A.W. Pink said, noted rather,
that it was after three days that each one of them did so. Now the point we wish to make
are reflected in the title that we have given under our study
this evening, and that is, Two Sons Not Spared, But Delivered
Up. Not only that two sons, but two
unique and two beloved, one-of-a-kind sons, not spared by their father. The text for Abraham not sparing
his son Isaac, we have read in Genesis chapter 22. But in verse
12 we read this, Thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only
son, from me." The text for God sparing not His Son is the one
in Romans 8 and verse 32, spared Him not but delivered Him up
for us all. Now we cannot in our study overlook
a vital point with regard to these two sons not spared by
their Father. That is their uniqueness as sons. Or should we say, their unique
sonship. Each one of them was this one
of a kind son, none other born like Isaac, none other born like
Christ, or ever shall be. And of Isaac we read in Genesis
22 and verse 2, God's command, Take now thy son, thine only
Isaac, whom thou lovest. And Hebrews 11 and verse 17 calls
Isaac his only begotten, is how the Hebrew author expresses that. On the Lord's cross we read,
John 3.16, the only begotten Son of God. God gave His only
begotten Son up to the death of the cross. He spared Him not. He did not withhold Him, who
alone could be our sacrifice. He delivered Him up freely to
the death of the cross. His only begotten Son He gave
to the death of the cross. One unique thing about Isaac
being offered up by Abraham, it is perhaps the only type that
I can think about that shows that the perfect sacrifice would
actually be a human, that it would actually be a man. And that was the Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. Now let's come to consider them
individually. Let's look at the case of the
offering up of Isaac. Because we read in Hebrews 11
and verse 17 again, it says this, Abraham by faith, when he was
tried, offered up Isaac. This is a reference to Genesis
22 and verse 1. It came to pass that God did
tempt Abraham. I believe that means he tried
him. It means he proved him that he feared God. It was not to
solicit Abraham to do sin. But in verse 12, God tried Abraham. Hebrews 11 and 17. He tried him with this command,
hard one it was, to sacrifice his son. Now you know something? If Abraham would have designed
that himself, if this would have been Abraham's idea of some way
that he might gain favor with God or whatever, it would have
been sin if Abraham had come up with a plot to kill his son.
But he sacrificed He received from God, rather, a positive
command to sacrifice Isaac. Which, as John Owen wrote about
that, God's command not only made it lawful, but it made it
His indisputable duty to offer up His beloved son. Which, by
the way, none but God had a right to command that of the good man
Abraham. So that the command of God sanctified
the action and the intention of the patriarch to comply with
God's command. We read in the New Testament,
he staggered not at the promise of God. He went to the appointed
place. He did as God said. And he took
Isaac to that place and he bound him upon the altar. When he had,
he unsheathed the knife that he had brought with him against
his beloved son. And by the way, this is the son
of promise. This is the one in whom thy seed
shall be called and thy house shall be built up. Only then,
when the knife is stretched and ready to strike, did God stay
the hand of Abraham. In Genesis 22, 11, and 12, one
thing had been shown Abraham feared God. Abraham believed
God. He withheld not his own son from
that death that God commanded him to deliver him to. He had
put him in that death and had put him to death had not God
stopped him on that occasion. Had not God stayed his hand He
had plunged the knife into the bosom of his beloved son, fixed
the wood about the altar, and made of his only beloved son
a burnt offering." By the way, do we not see a willing submission
also on the part of Isaac? Think about Isaac. When is Isaac
told, you are to be sacrificed? I don't know. The Scripture does
not see fit to tell us about that. But at some point, Isaac
is told, son, this is the command you are to be offered up. I am
to take your life. And I think we see here a type
of the willingness and the submission of our Savior to give Himself
up even to the death of the cross. Surely, young Isaac could have
overpowered aged Abraham and freed himself, surely he might
have escaped, surely he might have resisted, even as the Lord
said in Matthew 26, 53, he could have prayed to the Father and
received twelve legions of angels to come and fight for him. Isaac
once asked Abraham in Genesis chapter 22 in verse 7, Father,
here's the fire, here's the wood, where is the lamb for a burnt
offering? The altar is built, the wood
is laid in order, and still no lamb for a sacrifice. At the proper point, wherever
it was, Abraham informs his son, Son, thou art the sacrifice. There's no record of any resistance
from Isaac. Evidently he lays his life down
willingly. He yields his life up into the
hands of his father, flinches not at the raised knife that
is glittering above His head. Even as no man took Christ's
life from Him, He lay it down and no man was able to take it
away. He had a command to lay it down.
He had a command to receive it again from the Father. Now, as
an aside to this story, I have often wondered what Sarah, the
mother of Isaac, thought about all of this. In fact, I wonder,
did Abraham even tell her? Did Abraham even tell her what
his mission was and his commission from God? Did he tell her before
he left home or did Isaac tell her? somewhere before they left. Again, God has not seen fit to
tell us this account. But let's shift our focus now
to that passage in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 17 through verse 19,
where in that whole chapter we have one after another account
of the saints of God acting by faith and pleasing God in the
Old Testament era. And Abraham's faith is all the
more amazing when we consider that Ishmael, his son of flesh
by Hagar, he had by God's counsel cast out of the house forever,
Genesis 21. And now the son of promise. His hope all lying in Isaac. And now the son of that promise
is put under a sentence of death by God. And a Hebrews author
takes note what Isaac was to Abraham. First, that in regard
to Isaac, he received the promise in verse 17. And in verse 18,
He was commanded to offer up by him the only son of whom it
had been said, in Isaac shall thy seed be called. This is the
one in whom the spiritual seed will come, put to death the one
by which God said concerning him I will raise up a great number
of children unto you. The very one in whom God promised
to accomplish the promise made to Abraham now lieth under a
sentence of death." There's a two-fold complement of Abraham's faith
in the New Testament. Number one, his believing in
the accomplishment of God's purpose regarding the birth of Isaac.
In Romans 4, 17 through 21, in spite of the procreative deadness
of both the body of Sarah and of Abraham, being fully persuaded
that what he had promised, he also was able to perform. Abraham believed that God was
able to bring life out of death. Second, in Hebrews 11, in verse
19, He raised the knife against His promised beloved Son. With these words, accounting
that God was able to raise Him up, even from the dead, from
whence He also received Him in a figure. That is, the fulfillment
of the promise, though, would require God to raise Him up from
the dead, that if Isaac is to be the promised seed, that if
he's put to death, he must be raised again from the dead. How extensive was the faith of
Abraham. He believed God could kill him
and raise him again up. from the dead. Thus Abraham withheld
not his son, he held him not back, believing what God had
promised he was able to fulfill, even that he was able to raise
his son again from the dead. Ah, but with that as our type,
we have a more precious example of another son not spared. Romans 8.32, spared him not,
but delivered Him up on our behalf. First, let us see the context.
In verse 31 of Romans 8 is the forerunner. What shall we say
then unto these things? These things just said. The blessings
declared in verse 28 through verse 30. Purpose for knowledge,
for the nation calling, justification and glory. What is the proper
inference that is to be drawn from these things? and if God
be for us. If the if does not suggest doubt,
but as Murray wrote, it is not the if of uncertainty, but a
presupposition, in other words, since our seeing God is for us,
God is on our side, He hath appointed us to eternal life. Then in verse 32, it offers the
most convincing proof that God is for us in that He Indeed,
His own Son, offered up in death as a sacrifice, delivered Him
up for us all. This establishes two thoughts
for us. Number one, God, for our salvation,
has given the most treasured and dear one of himself, and
that is his own son, his only beloved and begotten son, the
son of his love, the eternally begotten son of God is the one
he has given, the one who shares his nature and is like unto him. Haldane wrote in his commentary
on the book of Romans, No stronger proof of His favor that He is
for us can be found anywhere in the Word of the Lord. Secondly,
He has given the greatest thing necessary to our salvation. He will also freely give us all
things else that we have need of or that goes with our salvation. This is the basis of verse 33
and following. There is no condemnation to those
in Christ. There is no separation from the
love of God. But if we look again at verse
32 and the negative and the positive, He spared him not is the negative. He delivered him up is the positive. He spared him not but delivered
him up. And let's note something that
God made a way to spare Abraham's only and beloved son from the
death upon that altar, but not his own son. He must actually,
literally die. There is no ram caught in the
thicket. that might become a substitute
for Christ, none passing by that they might sacrifice or kill
in His place, none to spare the Lord the death of the cross. Not one angel, not one man can
take the place of this One who is our great sacrifice. And please know, He, God spared,
not His own Son. Very interesting word, the word
spared there, or spared not, is a very picturesque word when
we study it out, when we make some comparison. For it means
not to slacken and not to lessen. Not to ameliorate what is about
to be done. Not to reduce. That is, not to
make the sentence lighter than it needs to be or that it should
be. Not to lighten the punishment.
not to give less than is fully deserved. For example, Saul spared
Agog and the choice sheep back in the Old Testament, 1 Samuel
15 and 9. 2 Samuel 12 and 4, David spared
his own flock killing a lamb from another. Romans 11 and 21,
God spared not the natural branches, but cut them off of the tree. 2 Peter 2 and verse 4, God spared
not the angels that sinned, but cast them down into hell. 2 Peter 2 and verse 5, God spared
not the old world, sending the flood upon the world, of the
ungodly. Nor did he spare Sodom and Gomorrah. He gave them the full dessert
that their sin deserved. Neither did God spare His own
Son. Thomas Manton says two things
that God spared not His Son. Number one, as to the bounty
of the free gift. the all-sufficient one, the best
one in heaven, the best one there is to offer, the supreme gift,
the greatest gift, the perfect and the altogether lovely and
sufficient one, is whom our Lord delivered up, God's Son. Because
God can swear by no greater, He swears by Himself. Even so,
because He can give no greater, He gave His Son a sacrifice for
our sin. But the second thing is, as making
Him a sacrifice for our sin and having laid all of our sins upon
Him. Like Isaiah said in chapter 53
and verse 6, God made Him to be sin for us. Paul says in 2
Corinthians 5 and 21, He imputed our sins, everyone, unto His
Christ. He assumed to be our surety,
and the Lord required that of him. God spared him not when
upon the cross, bearing our sin, think about it, God held nothing
back that our sins justly deserve. God spared him not. God held
back not one whit of the stroke or the anguish or of the suffering. Though He was condemning sin
in the flesh, in the flesh of His own Son, Romans 8 and verse
3, and though His own Son was the one being offered up for
our sin, still God, as Zachariah said, awakened the sword of divine
judgment and justice against our Lord and gave it a command
to go forth and to smite Him. And I remember A.W. Pink saying,
the sword returned not to its scabbard again until it had been
soaked in the blood of Calvary. Because God exacted of him the
just desert of our sin. He spared him not. the full measure
He required of our surety and of our sacrifice. Paul adds,
not only did He spare not His Son, but He delivered Him up.
He delivered Him up, and that means to surrender Him, to yield
Him up, to deliver, to give over, to commit. He committed His Son
to the death of the cross, the death of all death. the death,
the worst death that could be imagined of any man, and particularly
of an innocent one. But then, notice who it is that
spared him not. It is the very same One who delivered
him up. Who? That is God, His Father
spared him not, but delivered him up. Both things are of the
Father, giving Him to the death of the cross. God's highest expression
of love and of goodwill toward the elect, He withheld not His
Son that we might have it. And though Paul says God delivered
him up, Yet Christ, like Isaac, must have done, laid down His
life. He willingly engaged a surety
of the covenant people. And when the hour was come, appointed
by the Father, He gave Himself up unto the death of the cross. And Paul says in Galatians 2
in verse 20, He loved me and He gave Himself for me. In Ephesians 5, in verse 2, it
says that He hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice
of a sweet savor unto God. Titus 2 and 14, who gave Himself
for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify
us unto Himself a people peculiar of good works. 1 Timothy 2 and
verse 6, who gave Himself a ransom for all. Yes, God sent His Son
to be a propitiation for our sin. 1 John 4 and 10. Romans 3 and verse 25, whom God
set forth a propitiation for the remission of our sin. The death that Christ died upon
the cross was according to the determinate counsel and the eternal
foreknowledge of our God. And by this, our Lord Jesus was
delivered up to the cruel hatred and animosity of the Jew to be
put to death according to what God's hand and God's counsel
had before determined to be done, Acts 4, 27 and 28. He delivered up for our offenses,
Romans 4 and verse 25. Delivered for our offenses, not
as a martyr, but as a sacrifice for the sin of God's people to
make propitiation to the Holy God. Now, let's close considering
the words of Romans 8 and verse 32 for just a minute, for us
all. Paul says us and us all, not
all without exception, for not all without exception are saved
and delivered from their sin. But all of the us mentioned in
the foregoing text that are called according to His purpose, chosen
in Christ, foreknown, foreordained, those who cannot be separated
from the love of God, the us who are foreordained to the glory
that is to come. So what greater hope or comfort
could we have than to know this blessed gospel truth that God
delivered up His Son, His own Son, as our vicar for our sin,
in our place, in our stead, in our behalf to save us from our
sin. For us. For us all. To paraphrase, now we know that
He loves us in that He delivered up His Son in our behalf, not
because we were worthy, but because He would, because He loved us,
and because He would save us. Thank God a Son delivered up,
spared not, what our sins deserve. Think about it. All that should
have fallen upon us fell upon the Lord and Savior, God's Son,
whom He spared not in the death of the cross. Thank God. Thank
God for that.