Book of Beginnings

Q: What does the Bible say about Christ in the Old Testament?

The Old Testament fully reveals Christ, as seen in various types and shadows such as the tree of life and the promised seed. The Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, is replete with references and foreshadowings of Christ. For instance, in Genesis, He is depicted as the tree of life (Genesis 2:8-9), the promised seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15), and the lamb of sacrifice demonstrated through Abel's offering (Genesis 4:4). Luke 24:27 indicates that Jesus expounded on all the Scriptures concerning Himself, affirming that both Law and the Prophets testify of Him. Each narrative and detail in the Old Testament ultimately points toward the incarnate God, Jesus Christ, who fulfills the promises made throughout the Scriptures, demonstrating that He is central to God's redemptive plan.

Q: How do we know the doctrine of election is true?

The doctrine of election is rooted in Scripture, showcasing God's sovereign choice and grace in salvation. The doctrine of election is a cornerstone of Reformed theology, firmly grounded in Scripture. Ephesians 1:4-5 reveals that believers were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, highlighting God's initiative in salvation. Furthermore, Romans 9:11-13 illustrates that God's choice does not depend on human effort but on His purpose and grace. Numbers of believers can attest to their own experiences of being called, persuaded, and drawn by God toward faith, which corroborates the biblical assertions of election. From both a theological and experiential perspective, the doctrine emphasizes the grace of God in granting salvation to His elect, underscoring that it is He who saves, unmerited by man.

Q: Why is the concept of being saved by grace important for Christians?

Being saved by grace highlights God's unmerited favor and assures believers that salvation is a gift, not a result of works. The concept of being saved by grace is foundational to the Christian faith because it emphasizes that salvation is based on God's unmerited favor rather than human merit. Ephesians 2:8-9 states, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." This teaching liberates believers from the burden of trying to earn salvation through their own efforts or works. It assures Christians that their standing before God is secure, based solely on Christ’s finished work on the cross. This understanding fosters gratitude, humility, and a deeper reliance on Christ, reinforcing that all glory for salvation belongs to Him alone.

Q: What does it mean that Christ is the tree of life?

Christ, as the tree of life, signifies that He is the source of eternal life for all who believe. In Genesis 2:9, the tree of life is presented as a symbol of God's provision for eternal life. Christ is identified as the tree of life, representing that all spiritual and eternal life springs from Him. This essential truth is reaffirmed in John 14:6, where Jesus proclaims that He is the way, the truth, and the life, asserting that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Thus, the tree of life symbolizes not only physical sustenance in the Garden of Eden but also the spiritual nourishment and eternal life that believers receive through faith in Christ. This picture reinforces the centrality of Christ in the life of believers who find their true sustenance and hope in Him.

Open your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Genesis, the book of beginnings, it's called. The name of the message is the book of beginnings, the book of Genesis. We're gonna be going through some verses in Genesis, and then we're gonna be going through some verses in the New Testament, and we will be looking at Christ in the Old Testament here.

It's wonderful, absolutely wonderful. Ties in with our little Wednesday night series about looking through the Old Testament. On the road to Arimaeus, our Lord said these two words to his disciples. He said this, he said, in the beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24, 27. Now, When I was in religion, I was told that the Old Testament was for the Jews and the New Testament was for believers.

But with the Lord's words there, we see that that's not true. And that's something that's still propagated even today. No, all the Old Testament, Moses, beginning at Moses, that's the first five books. And the prophets, that's everybody else after that, right? All the way up to the New Testament, the Lord says this, They speak the things concerning him.

My, oh, my. And somebody said, well, I used to say, well, I wish I could be a fly on a wall there, until Norm Wells said, we already have it all. He just has to reveal it. He has to reveal it. And that's so true, isn't it? And one of the recent short sermons I preached on was the Bible is a hymn book, H-I-M. It's all about Christ. It's all about him. It's not about us. I was recently talking to someone and they said, well, I've got to get in the Bible and I got to see what I got to do. And I stopped her and said, it's not about that. It's not about what you do. It's about what's already been done by Christ. And we have to remember that, don't we?

The HIM book, the scriptures, they talk about God being incarnate. God the Son becoming a man to redeem us, to save us from all our sins. So we'll be looking at verses in Genesis tonight, along with corresponding verses in the New Testament. And I've got a few points I'd like us to look at that speak of Him. that speak of Christ. We will see multiple pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ tonight.

First off, turn to Genesis chapter two. Genesis chapter two, and you may as well just keep your finger in there, because we're gonna be going from there all through the book a little bit on different portions, so keep your finger in Genesis, because we'll be going back there. Genesis chapter two, though, verses eight and nine, the first thing for us to consider is Christ is the tree of life.

Right? Where does all life spring from? It springs from Christ. It doesn't spring anywhere else. He's the source of all life, as we saw on Sunday. By him, all things consist. He's the creator, and by him, all things consist. Look at this. Genesis 2, verses 8 and 9. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed, and out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is in the midst, or that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. So, what is Christ?

He's the key, isn't he? That unlocks all the scriptures. He is the key. He said, I'm the... He's the truth, the life. He's everything. He's the way, the truth, and the life, right? He's a life. He's eternal life for us. We have no other eternal life except through him. And even our life, our physical life comes from him.

But Christ is the key that unlocks the golden doors into the temple of divine truth. We will not understand any scriptures outside of Christ. You must be born again, and then the Holy Spirit comes, right? Sent by Christ into our hearts, whereby we cry, I have a Father. And then He teaches us. Who does He teach us about, Brother Chris? He teaches about Christ. No one else. He just teaches us about Christ, and that's it.

And He declares there in Luke 24, 27, that the law and the prophets, they testify of me. He also says in the following of the book, it is written of me. in the New Testament. My. So every section of the written word of God is all about Christ. It's all about him, the second person of the Trinity. He's pictured in Genesis, and then he's seen in Matthew. He's pictured in Exodus, and then he's seen in Mark. and you can go all through the books of the Old Testament, he's seen in the New Testament. The shadow and the substance. Colossians talks about that. He's the key to the scriptures. You miss Christ, you miss the message of the Bible. Because he came to save his people from their sins. That's what he came to do. That was his mission. And as a result of that, being saved from our sins, we don't go to hell. We don't have the wrath of God fell upon us. We don't come into judgment. Those are all benefits. I was thinking about that this week. Those are benefits of the finished work of Christ. Isn't that wonderful?

My, Vicki and I were talking about election and Vicki, we're sitting there and I'm having a thing at McDonald's and McFlurry. I have to spoil myself once in a while. And I'm eating my McFlurry, and I'm facing towards the church, and she's facing over towards Family Farm.

And she says, Wayne, there's a lady over there, and she's meticulously going through the plants. And she's choosing which one she wants to take home. And no one's getting mad about it. And I went, look at that. Elections all around us. She's choosing the specific plant she wants to take home. And she's going to take them inside and the person's going to say, well, that's not fair.

You left all those other plants behind. See, but when it touches our flesh, that's when people start to, right? You know, we're just like those plants. They have life in them. We were born dead. And the Lord just comes and gives us life. Born again of the Holy Spirit of God. Isn't it beautiful? And then, since he's already bought us, since he's already redeemed us, he just takes us home when we die. It's glorious. Glorious. My. Turn, if you would, to John, chapter 14, 6.

So we see there the tree of life is in the midst of the garden, and also the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which Adam ate of. But he wasn't allowed to eat of the tree of life, was he? No. But look at here, who do we eat of who is the tree of life?

Christ. We hunger and thirst for righteousness. We feast on Christ, don't we? On his teachings, on who he is. Look what it says here, John 14, six. Oh, look at this. So whoever eats of the tree of life will live forever, right? Eternal life is only in Christ. Look what he says, Jesus saith unto him, I am. The way. So what's that tell us right away? There's no other way. Right? And the life.

That tells us that there's no life outside of Christ. We know as believers that every unsaved person breathes because of Christ. They have their life and their being because of Him. Because of Him. And what else do we have? What kind of life do we have now as believers? Eternal life. Eternal life, isn't that wonderful? And he says this, no man cometh unto the father but by me. Now that's exclusive, isn't it? He says no one can come to the father except through me, that's it.

Let's turn back to Genesis chapter three now. We see Christ is the promised seed of the woman who crests the serpent's head to bring in salvation. We also know that Christ is a pitcher. Those animals that were slain in the coats of skins that were put on Adam and Eve, right? Represented Christ's righteousness being placed upon his people. And there was a shed in the blood, wasn't there? Yeah, there was death. Death of an innocent one. It was Adam who fell, and Eve. It wasn't that animal. Well, the curse came upon them, but they were innocent. They were innocent. Look at this, Genesis chapter three, verses 14 and 15.

The Lord God said unto the serpent, because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and thus shalt thou eat all the days of life. And 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. So Christ crushed him, crushed Satan at the cross, and it bruised his heel, which represents his humanity. Just bruised his humanity. But notice this. I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. Why do you unsave people in religions who are unsaved as well? Why do they have such enmity towards us? It's right there.

Grace and works can't mix, can they? No. The deeds of the flesh can't mix with pure grace. We've given up the deeds of the flesh, haven't we, to justify ourselves in any way. It's only through Christ, through the seed of the woman, that we must be saved. So there's another picture of Christ right there before us. We have the tree of life, and now we have the seed of the woman. And this picture is that Christ Christ is the only way of salvation. And that by the death of the cross, right?

That's when he crushed Satan's head, right? Heaven spoiled all principalities and powers. He made a show of them. That's when he crushed them at Calvary's cross. Now turn over to Colossians. Colossians, look at this. Oh my. How do we know that he crushed the serpent's head? Well, Colossians brings it forth, the Holy Spirit, eh? This is amazing. He brings it forth over in Colossians chapter 2. Colossians chapter 2. We'll see what occurred at Calvary's cross here. Let's read verses 13 to 15. And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh.

That's how all of us were. That's how every person is in this world, right there. There's no, but see, he's talking past tense for us because we're born again now. Look what it says here. This is beautiful. Dead in your sins, in the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened. Now, who did the quickening? He did, amen. It's so clear, isn't it? Had together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

Look at that, that's remarkable. The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin, all sin, past, present, and future. My, look at this. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinance that was against us. which was contrary to us and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. It is finished. Sins bought and paid for, for all the elect of all the ages.

And look at this, in heaven spoiled principalities and powers. See, he crushed Satan's head with his humanity. Fully God and fully man. He's the seed of the woman, right? Remember? He's born of a virgin. And having spoiled the prince of the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them.

So we see the prophecy and the fulfillment. Picture of Christ, beloved. Let's go back to Genesis chapter four. Now we'll consider that Christ is the lamb whose blood was represented in Abel's sacrifice. Why was God pleased with Abel's sacrifice and rejected Cain's? Because Abel offered the proper sacrifice that pictured Christ. Here comes Cain and he's offering up the fruit of his labors. And they were probably real nice vegetables. The best he could probably get, but there's no blood. Without the shedding of blood, the scripture says in Hebrews, there's no remission for sins. None. My, so let's read here Genesis chapter four verses three to eight.

And in the process of time, Came to pass that Cain bought of the fruit of the ground and offering unto the Lord. Now he'd been taught right by his dad. He'd been taught right by Adam. This is outright rebellion, beloved. He's bringing the fruit of his labors, isn't he? What does that represent? That represents us trying to gain favor with God by what we do. He didn't bring what God told him to bring through his dad. And how do we know that they knew what was right? Because Abel bought the proper sacrifice. That's how we know. So Cain's like, oh, the Lord is going to be pleased with this. This is my hard work. I've done this. Surely I'm going to gain merit and favor with him. That's us in our natural state, isn't it? Oh, yeah. My, look at this.

And in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain bought the fruit of the ground, an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also bought the first things of the flock, and the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his sacrifice, because there was a shed in the blood, which pictured Christ. A lamb without blemish he bought, because he'd been taught that by Adam.

Look at this. But Cain, And to his offering, he had no respect and Cain was very wroth. Now he was angry. He was so angry, his anger manifested itself in the fact that he's going to kill his brother. Look at this. And his countenance fell. Well, how are people feel when we tell them that salvation is by grace alone? I've had people get so mad at me because I told them their works meant nothing. That's what the Lord told Cain. That's not the proper sacrifice. You bought fruit of your own labors. That doesn't picture Christ. And here's Abel bringing a sacrifice, first things of the flock. Blood sacrifice. That pictures Christ. Pictures Christ, beloved. Oh my.

Verse six, and the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? Why are you mad? Why are you angry? And why is that countenance falling? If thou didst well, shalt thou not be accepted? Look at that. He didn't do what was well, did he? He offered up his own labor. My, if thou dost not well, sin lies at the door. Every man who goes to hell is fully responsible. It lies at their door. That's why grace is so amazing, because we deserve that. But we don't get that. We get salvation in Christ. Look at this. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

And Cain talked with Abel his brother. And it came to pass that when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him. Now, keep your finger in Genesis, though, because we're going back. Now go over to Hebrews chapter 11. My, we're going to see here that Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than his brother, because it pictured Christ. That's the only reason it was accepted, because there was a shed in the blood, which pictures the sinless, spotless Lamb of God, shed in His blood to redeem we who are believers. It's amazing.

Look at this, Hebrews 11.4. By faith, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh. His own blood testified. My, remember the Lord said, Abel's blood cries for me from the ground. Abel, we see, was righteous. Now how was Abel righteous? By the grace of God. He believed what God said. And so he bought a blood sacrifice. Now that sacrifice couldn't take away sin, could it? But it pointed to one who could take away the sins of his people. And he did that at Calvary's Cross. It's wonderful.

Let's go back now to Genesis chapter five. Genesis chapter five. Christ is the one whom Enoch believed. And through Christ, Enoch pleased God. This is my beloved son, in whom I'm well pleased. And you know, he's pleased with everybody in Christ, in his son. Right? Look at this, Enoch. Enoch. He walked with our king. Look at this, Genesis chapter 5, verses 22 to 24. And Enoch walked with God. My, oh my. My.

He walked, Chris, he rested in Christ like we do. We walk with God, we rest in Christ all the time. And Enoch was a sinner just like we are. Saved by the grace of God, though. He walked with God, look at that. after he had begot Methuselah. 300 years and begot sons and daughters. And the days of Enoch were 365 years, and Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

Took him. Just like that. Took him home. Who did Enoch look to? Christ. Christ, another name for Christ in the Old Testament is the Messiah, right? Enoch looked to the Messiah. He believed by faith, just like our faith, looks back to Christ. He looked forward to Christ. We have this, Job said, I know my Redeemer liveth. Well, there's only one Redeemer, isn't there? Right? Job's talking about Christ. And the one who Enoch walked with was God, was Christ, by faith, God-given faith.

It's wonderful. Turn, if you would, back to Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11. So Enoch looked to the Messiah, he walked with God, and with God-given faith. He had one object of his faith, and that was the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at here, Hebrews chapter 11, verse five. By faith, Enoch was translated, that he should not see death, and was not found, because God had translated him. For before his translation, he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

How could Enoch please God? Only in Christ. This is my beloved Son, in whom I'm well pleased. How do we please God? Only in Christ. See, people separate the Old Testament and the New, But it's one Savior, one God, one Lord, one Spirit. The same Savior who saved us is the same one who Enoch looked to, the same one who Job looked to, the same one Moses looked to, the same one Joshua looked to. You must be born again, and they were born again. Because the only way that Enoch pleased God was in Christ.

Isn't that wonderful? My, we see Christ right there in the Old Testament again. It's wonderful. Let's go back now. Genesis chapter six. Another picture. Christ is the ark by which sinners are saved from the flood of God's wrath. Now we looked at this in the beginning of our Wednesday night studies. And if you'd like to listen to that, it's Christ, the Ark of Safety. And it speaks all about this, but we're gonna just quickly go over this. This is amazing. This is absolutely amazing. Genesis chapter 6, verses 12 to 14.

And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt. For all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. Everyone was sinners. And God said unto Noah, the end of all flesh has come before me. For the earth is filled with violence through them, and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Make thee an ark of kopher wood, rooms shalt thou make an ark, and shall pitch it within and without with pitch. Now, earlier in the chapter, the scriptures say Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Noah is a sinner just like everybody else. He found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And the ark is a picture of Christ. All who were in the ark were safe, right? From God's wrath and justice. All who are in Christ are safe from the wrath and justice of God. My. Everyone outside that ark, what happened to them? They all perished. They all perished. Now turn, if you would, to 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians.

Chapter one, verses nine, Look at this. Oh my, God's people have been saved from the wrath of God, which will fall upon sinners outside of Christ. Look at this. 1 Thessalonians verses 9 and 10. For they themselves show us of what manner of entering in we head unto you, and how ye turn from God to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son, from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from what? The wrath to come. There is a judgment coming. Chris, we've been delivered from it, brother. We've been delivered from it.

Just like Noah and his family, they were delivered from the wrath of God that was pictured in that rain and the storm Everybody outside perished, but inside that ark, which pictures Christ, everyone was saved. Now let's go back to Genesis chapter 15, where we see another picture. Christ is the seed of promise who came from Abraham's loins, in whom all the nations of the earth are blessed. In Galatians chapter 3, it says, if you are Christ, then you're Abraham's sons according to the promise.

Isn't that wonderful? My. It's Abraham's heirs, according to the promise. It's wonderful. Look at this, Genesis 15, verses five and six. And he bought him forth abroad and said, look now toward heaven and tell the stars if thou be able to number them. And he said, so shall thy seed be. Look at that. And he believed the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness. See, what did? Abraham do? He believed the Lord. Somebody says, well, look, he believed. Yeah, because God gave him faith to believe. Just like he did us.

And what do we do? We believe what God says, don't we? I'll tell you what, there was a time when I didn't believe any of it. I sure believe it all now, even the stuff I can't understand. If I come to a portion of scripture that I can't understand or might rub me a little, you know, I go, Lord, it's your word.

We accept it and bow to it and say, I have to conform around the word. Right? The word doesn't conform around us. We conform to the word. We rest in what it says. We accept it as truth, no matter what. You say, well, I don't like election. Well, it's still there. Right? It's still there.

No, we have to conform around our beliefs. We have to change what we think when it comes to the Bible. And that's what's happened to us, isn't it, Brother Chris? We didn't think this way. And now we're like, glory be to God, he saved my soul. Oh my. My, oh my.

Look in Galatians chapter three. Look at Galatians chapter three. We just read there about all thy seed, so shall thy seed be as he took them and told them to look at the stars, right? Look at Galatians chapter three. Look at verse eight and nine. In the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen.

Well, that's me and you. Praise God. Through faith, look at that. You must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He didn't justify everybody, did he? and help those who have faith in Christ, God-given faith. He justified them. Look at this. That God would justify the heathen through faith preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, Indeed, shall all nations be blessed. And your seed, that seed's Christ. Right? So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Look at that. That's beautiful, isn't it? That's beautiful. Let's go back to Genesis. Back to Genesis. Oh, actually, no. Go down to Galatians chapter three again. Now go down to the last two verses. I'm sorry, because look what it says here in the last two verses of Galatians. This seals the deal right here, right? Look at this. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There's neither bond nor free. There's neither male nor female.

For ye are one in Christ Jesus, Galatians 3.28.

Look at that. Look at that. Paul's writing to the church, right? The churches of Galatia. And he says, look at this. Jew and Greek don't matter. Jew and Gentile don't matter. You're one. And then look at this last verse. And if ye be Christ, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. So exactly what God said. That you won't be able to number his seed. God's people are a number that no man can number. Oh my beloved. It's beautiful.

Now let's go back to Genesis again. Go back to Genesis chapter 22 now. Where we see Christ is a lamb of sacrifice whom God provided to die in the place of Isaac. You know, God sent his own son to die in our room and place. A substitute. And we see a picture here of our great savior. Look at this, Genesis chapter 22, verses one to eight. Look at this. It came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham And said unto him, Abraham, and he said, behold, here I am.

That's the servant's call, right? Here I am. Do with me whatever you will. And he said, take now thy son, thine only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest, get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him therefore a burnt offering upon the mountains, upon one of the mountains, which I will tell thee of. Okay. So think of this, what we just read. God has told Abraham, I want you to get your son, your only son, and I want you to go to this mountain and prepare to offer him up as a sacrifice. The son of his love. He's first born.

And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass, look at that, didn't even hesitate, did he? My, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and claimed the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. No doubt Isaac helped him cut those trees. Notice that, he cut trees down before he went. Where is Isaac? He's probably with him. My.

Then on the third day, oh interesting, on the third day, Christ rose from the grave on the third day, didn't he? I don't know if there's anything there, but hey, it's interesting. And 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 see you. Now notice this. We see here in these words at the end of the sentence that Isaac believed if he offered his son up, that God would raise him again, because he said, we're gonna see you again. Isn't that interesting? My. I've read several commentators that said that, and they say, this is a small thing that we all just could blow right by.

But with those words, I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you. He believed God, just raised him right back from the dead. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac, his son. He took the fire in his hand and the knife, and they went both of them together. Look at that, they're going up the mountain.

And Isaac spake unto Abraham, now here, here's the son asking Abraham, his father, and said, my father. And he said, here am I, my son. I could just imagine the tenderness between them. And he said, behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they went both of them together.

And we know later on, Abraham was just getting ready to put that knife in his son. He had him tied down there getting ready to and Behold, there's a lamb caught in the thicket And he took that lamb and sacrificed it in place of his son Now God our God didn't hold back the knife when it came to his son, did he?

He plunged it in the heart of our Savior as a sacrifice for our sin As Spurgeon said, the sword of God's justice was unseen and plunged into the chest of Christ. For us? Oh my. But notice verse eight. And Abraham said, my son, look at this. God will provide himself a lamb. Who offered himself up is the lamb of God. The Word of God. God incarnate in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ. What a prophetic statement. And he did that for you and I, beloved, we who are the born again blood washed people of God. God promised to provide a lamb, and God the Father provided a lamb, didn't he? The Lord Jesus Christ. And there was a lamb, though, caught in a thicket just before Abraham sacrificed his son. That picture's our substitute dying for us on Calvary's cross. My, what a beautiful picture. Another picture of Christ right before us.

Turn, if you would, to John chapter one. How do we know that Christ is the Lamb of God? Well, John the Baptist proclaimed it. John the Baptist proclaimed that Christ is and was the Lamb of God. John chapter one, verses 29 to 30. Look at this, it's just beautiful. The next day, John see it, Jesus coming unto him and said, behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Look at that. Some people might say, well, look, look, he died for everybody. It says the sin of the world. That's Jews and Gentiles. Because everybody outside the Jewish world were just a bunch of dogs to the Jewish nations.

And has he not saved the people of every tongue, tribe, kindred, and nation? Hasn't he? Yes, he has. But look it, John identified him. Behold the Lamb of God. That's one of the titles of our king. The Lamb of God, beloved, who shed his life, shed his blood to redeem us from all our sins. My, this is he of whom I said, after me cometh a man which is preferred before me, for he was before me. Yeah, he was. He appeared to Abraham. He appeared to Joshua. He appeared to Moses. He appeared to Adam. We even see he talked with Cain, didn't he? My, wow. My, oh my. God incarnated in the flesh, the Lamb of God, the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Word. My.

Turn back, if you would, to Genesis chapter 22. Now we see Christ is the ladder, Jacob saw, by whom the blessings of God come down to men, and by whom men ascend up to God. There's only one who's come down from heaven, isn't there? And that's the Lord Jesus Christ. And down comes us, to us, all spiritual blessings in Christ. And then now, when we die, we ascend to the Father, don't we?

He's the only way. He said, I'm the way. Remember that verse we looked at? I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me, John 14, six. Look at this in Genesis chapter 28 now. I'm sorry, I put 22 on my notes. Genesis chapter 28. We'll read verses 10 to 14.

And Jacob went out from Beersheba and went towards Haran. And he lightened upon a certain place and tarried there all night because the sun was set. And he took the stones of that place and put them for his pillows. and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed. And behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels ascending and descending on it.

And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac, the land whereon thou liest. To thee will I give it, and to thy seed. Notice who's given the land? The one who owns it all. Now, we have land here for the church, right? And the building's on it, and the house is on it, but this is the Lord's property. Even your house, Chris, right? It's on the Lord's property. Oh, my.

I remember Donnie Bell went one time, he was sitting at a gas station filling up. I told this in a sermon. He's filling up, and he's looking across this huge meadow in the Appalachians, right, in the hills and all that. A fella comes out and starts talking to him, and he's looking, and he goes, man, look at that. My father owns all that. And the fella said, well, I know who owns that, and he's not your dad. And he goes, no, my father owns it all. And he proceeded to tell him. It was all the Lord's. It was all the Lord's. He owns it all. He owns the cattle in Thousand Hills. My, oh my, oh my. Look at this. There's a ladder here, angels descending.

It says, Behold, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father and the God of Isaac, the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south, people from everywhere. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. So again, he's talking about Abraham, all through Abraham, my.

And then turn now, okay, turn to Ephesians chapter one, which we've been in. So that ladder ascends down from heaven and goes back up to heaven. Well, the only one who ascended down from heaven is Christ. And then we believers ascend to heaven where Christ is right now, seated on the right hand of the Father. And all the blessings of God come to us through Christ, who's pictured in that ladder.

It's a picture of Him. My, look at this. And who's at His beck and call? The angels. They're at His beck and call. Look at this, Ephesians chapter one, verses three to six. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us, oh, with all spiritual blessings, in heavenly places in Christ, according as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated us into the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, through the praise and the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted and abloved. Anybody ever ask why God saved you? You say this. It's according to the good pleasure of His will. Praise His name. It's all Him. It's all Him. Let's go back to Genesis chapter 14 now.

We see Christ is that priest after the order of Melchizedek, oh my, by whom God's elect are blessed. He's the high priest, right? There's no other high priest needed, right? Do you know that the high priest, there was no chair in the Holy of Holies, there was no chair where Where the priest could sit down, where's Christ? He's sitting down. The work's done. There's no more work to be done. He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.

Look at this with Melchizedek, Genesis chapter 14, verses 18 to 20. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, bought forth bread and wine. And he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him and said, blessed be Abraham, the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. Not after the law of carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testified, thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a picture of Christ. My, by whom all the blessings of God come through, remember? God's elect are blessed through our Melchizedek, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And it's evident from the scriptures and from the fact that the Levitical priesthood was not an effectual way to put away sin, right? They couldn't put away sin. And from the presence of another priest arising who bears the likeness of Melchizedek, not Aaron, notice that, not Aaron, but Melchizedek, where power and authority is based. And it's not on carnal ordinances we saw in that verse, but on the deity of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternality of his life, the efficiency and perfectness of his one sacrifice for our sins, for the sins of all his people. And there's a decided change in the law regarding the priesthood, isn't there? Christ is our high priest. And he's not a man. No, he's not a man. Isn't it wonderful? Beautiful pictures we see here. Beautiful pictures.

Now turn last place, Genesis chapter 41, last place. Genesis chapter 41. We'll read verses 40 and 41, and then put your fingers in Matthew chapter 28. Oh no, there's one more after this. What am I talking about? There's one more after this. Keep your finger, so we're going to Genesis 41. Put your finger in Genesis 43. We'll be going right back there. Okay. So this last, this second last one here, we'll read from verses 40 and 41.

And in verse 41, we'll see that Christ is our Joseph. He's our Joseph, beloved. He's ruling over all things. And in whom all things are from, in whom all things come. Look at verse 40 and 41. Now Pharaoh made him the second in command, the prime minister of all of Egypt, and put everything into his hands. Has not God put all power in the hands of our king, our Joseph, the Lord Jesus Christ?

Look at this. Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled. Only in thy throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. Look at that. All power in the land of Egypt.

Now turn, if you would, to Matthew 28. Matthew 28. And then we're gonna go back to Genesis 43, and then we'll be done. Look at this. Matthew 28. What wonderful pictures of Christ, eh? Look at this. Matthew 28, verses 18 to 20. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and earth. Look at that.

Man, I wanna live there. I wanna live there. When I get worked up, all power is in my king's hands. I got to remind myself of that. That's a beautiful verse for us to just run in our head. That's the master's word. All power is in my hand. I'm going to take care of you. Right? He will. He will. We might not always get what we want, but we'll always get what we need. Right? Brother Chris, you saw that come alive even with your work, man. Boom. It's amazing. It's amazing. Oh, my.

Power is given unto me in heaven and earth go ye therefore since since he has all power since he has all might Go into the world therefore Go in there. Well, what are we gonna? What are we to do go in the world therefore and teach all nations? Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever. I've commanded you and lo I'm with you always look at that. What a promise I What a promise. Our Joseph is with us always. And he's got all power. Joseph had all power over Egypt. No one could say to him, what are you doing, Joseph?

They'd be, man, they'd be gone. Look at that. Lo, I am with you. Look at that tender words. Even unto the end of the world, amen. Even unto the end of the age. I'm with you forever. My, that's a promise from our King, beloved. Last place we go to, Genesis 43. We read verses eight and nine. You know, Christ is our surety, beloved. He's the guarantor of our salvation.

That's what surety, I didn't know what surety was until Jake told me. And when he does contracts, and there's a surety. And what the surety does is if the person that's contracted can't finish the job, the surety will come in and finish the whole job. We couldn't save ourselves, could we, brother? In came the surety, man. The Lord Jesus Christ. the surety of his people. Look at this. Look at this Genesis, chapter 43, verses 8 and 9.

And Judah said unto Israel, his father, remember? Remember, Joseph said, don't you come back unless you bring that younger son of yours. Won't get nothing unless you bring that younger. And Benjamin was his brother, right? Joseph loved Benjamin. And so they're talking about Benjamin going back to Egypt.

And Isaac had said, oh, this is going to kill me. Look at this. And Judah said unto Israel his father, send the lad with me, and we will rise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and thou, and also our little ones. So the only way for them to get food during the famine was from Egypt.

And look what he says, I will be surety for him. That's a picture of Christ. He's being surety for his brother. Of my hand shalt thou require him. If I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, let me then bear blame forever. Look at that. And in Hebrews chapter seven, verse 22, this is wonderful. This is so wonderful.

Hebrews 7.22, absolutely amazing. Scripture says, by so much was Jesus made a surety of a better covenant, a guarantor of the covenant of God's grace. And that's how we're saved, through the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to the everlasting covenant. So what do we say? Christ is all. He's everything. He's everything. I hope you were blessed by those pictures of Christ in the Old Testament.

Book of Beginnings

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about Christ in the Old Testament?

How do we know the doctrine of election is true?

Why is the concept of being saved by grace important for Christians?

What does it mean that Christ is the tree of life?

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About Wayne Boyd

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Book of Beginnings

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about Christ in the Old Testament?

How do we know the doctrine of election is true?

Why is the concept of being saved by grace important for Christians?

What does it mean that Christ is the tree of life?

Sermon Transcript

About Wayne Boyd

Comments

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