I've entitled the message for
this morning, Jehovah Jireh. Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will
provide, or the Lord will see to it. Jehovah Jireh. I was reading a book several
years ago on preaching. And it was different, what they
call reformed authors, giving their thoughts on different aspects
of preaching. And I want to remind us that
the truth never needed to be reformed. And the very idea of
reformed, well, they call prisons reformatories. And that's just
a wrong way to look at things, reformed. But at any rate, I
was reading this book about preaching. And in one chapter, the author
warned about spiritualizing texts and reading things into them
that are not there. And he used Genesis 22 as the
great example of preachers spiritualizing texts. And his argument was this. The point of Genesis 22 is Abraham's
obedience. That is the purpose of this passage
of scripture to show the necessity of obedience. And look in verse 12 of this
chapter. 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 thou hast not withheld thy son,
thy only son, from me. Look in verse 16. We'll be considering this in
the next couple of weeks. He said, by myself have I sworn,
saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing and has
not withheld thy son, thy only son, that in blessing I'll bless
thee. Now it sounds there that the reason he is going to bless
him is because of his act of obedience. If you didn't have
any of the rest of the scriptures and this is all you had to read,
that's what you'd conclude, isn't it? Let's go on reading verse
17, that in blessing I'll bless thee and in multiplying I'll
multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand
which is upon the seashore and thy seed shall possess the gate
of his enemies and in thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voice. The reason all the nations of
the earth are going to be blessed is because thou hast obeyed my
voice. Now, if this is all we had, we
can conclude salvation is according to our obedience. But will that
stand up with the rest of the scriptures? No, it won't. That's the natural
man's unaided view of the scripture without the Holy Spirit. This
is all he sees. This man saw this story as nothing
but to show us the importance of obedience. And he said, men
spiritualize this. And they take this story and
try to make it a gospel story. And you know what I did at that
point? Well, first of all, I called
the author something that I shouldn't have called him. And then I took
the book and I threw it against the wall. And I said, I will
never look at that book again. And you know what? I haven't. I love what Walter Groover said
about Genesis chapter 22. He said, if a man can't preach
the gospel from Genesis 22, he needs to find something else
to do. I agree. Verse one, and it came to pass after these
things. Now I love this statement that
is found hundreds of times in the scripture, it came to pass.
God purposed it and it came to pass. You know, that's true with
regard of everything that happens in this universe. It came to
pass because God purposed it. After these things, well, we
have approximately 50 years of the history of Abraham recorded. A lot of things happened during
those 50 years. A lot of things. But now he's
getting ready to face his greatest trial. At this time, Abraham
is 120 years old. Now you'd think he'd have a break
by now. He's gone through so many things,
but his greatest trial is given here toward the end of his life. The same could be true for me
and you. It came to pass after these things
that God did tempt Abraham. and said unto him, Abraham. Now,
every time the Lord called out his name, it preceded a trial. Every time, without exception. Abraham. And he said, behold,
here I am. And I kind of think he probably
winced when he heard his name. What now? And he, God said, Take now thy son, thy only son, Isaac. Now notice he calls Isaac your
only son, and Ishmael is not acknowledged as a son. You see,
the law can never produce a son of God. Only the gospel can. Take now thy son, and notice
how poignant each word is. Take now thy son, thy only son,
Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah,
and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains,
which I will tell thee of." Now, these mountains, Mount Moriah,
is the same mountain that Solomon would one day build the temple
on. This is where Jerusalem would one day be. Hadn't been built
yet. Mount Calvary was in this mountain
range, the land of Moriah. It means the place God has chosen. And you take your son whom you
love, your only son, and take a knife and slit his throat. This is what's involved. Let
the blood run out. Quarter him. Put him on the altar
and burn him up unto me. Somebody's thinking, I could
not do that. And I understand that. I could not do that. You could. If you believed that
God would give you the grace to do it, because you believed
that God had promised that the Messiah was going to come through
that son you're killing, and you believed that God that very
day would raise him from the dead, and that your Savior would
come through that man, if you believed that, if God gave you
the grace to believe it, you'd do it. You do it. Every believer in this room would
do it if they believed what God had promised, that God would
raise this one that you're offering up from the dead that very day. And Abraham did believe that.
Look at verse five. And Abraham said unto his young
men, abide ye here with the ass and I and the lad will go yonder
and worship and come again to you. He knew that they would
return again. He knew that his boy would be
raised from the dead because God promised. You see, Abraham
knew God. God cannot lie. Whatever God says must necessarily
come to pass. And he said, the Messiah, the
promised seed is gonna come through Isaac. Abraham believed that. I want to read a passage of scripture
from Hebrews chapter 11. The New Testament points this
out. Verse 17 of Hebrews chapter 11. You might want to turn with there. Verse 17, the inspired writer
says, by faith Abraham, Hebrews 11, 17, by faith Abraham, when
he was tried, speaking of this, Offered up Isaac and he that
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 Abraham
knew that He believed that and in Abraham's mind The deed was
done before it took place. Verse three, Genesis 22, and
Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass and
took two of his young men with him and Isaac, his son, And he
claimed the wood for the burnt offering. You know, I would have
probably thought, well, let's just wait and see if we can find
any wood when we get there. And I'd probably be hoping we
won't find it. And so this won't take place.
But Abraham left nothing like that. He claimed the wood ahead
of time, didn't he? He claimed the wood ahead. You
see, in his mind, the deed was done. Abraham rose up early in the
morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men
with him, and Isaac his son, and claimed the wood for the
burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which
God had told him, then on the third day." Now remember, it
had already taken place in his mind, and on the third day. What's the significance of that?
the resurrection of Christ after three days. You see, he was going
to be raised that very day. In Abraham's mind, the deed was
already done. And on the third day, Abraham
lifted up his eyes and saw the place of far off I'm sure there was a lot of pain
in seeing this place. There wasn't anything easy about
Abraham offering up his own son. And there wasn't anything easy
about God offering up his only begotten and well-beloved son. Then on the third day, Abraham
lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young
men, remember those two men that he took with him? He said, abide
ye here with the ass and I and the lad, just us, will go yonder
and worship and come again to you. Now, why did he leave these
two young men behind? Well, I believe there's a couple
of reasons. Number one, he probably knew
they would have prevented him from doing this. These are young
men and they could have easily, physically overcome Abraham.
Abraham was an old man, 120 years old. And he knew if I take these
fellas, that they'll try to prevent this from taking place. But more
than that, The transaction between the Father and the Son, men were
shut out. You remember what happened while
Christ was hanging on the cross? The Son quit shining. Me and you are not really going
to much understand what was going on. This is a transaction between
the Father and the Son. And I love the way he makes this
simple statement. And Abraham said unto his young
men, abide ye here with the ass and I and the lad will go yonder
and what? Worship. Worship. It's been said That Abraham's
obedience was the act of worship. Now, while we admire Abraham's
obedience, don't make a statement. Don't think a statement like
that. Abraham's obedience wasn't the
act of worship. The sacrifice was the act of
worship. And let me repeat that. Abraham's
obedience was not the act of worship. The sacrifice is the
focal point of this passage. The sacrifice is the act of worship. Abraham and Isaac were going
to sacrifice. When God told Moses to tell Pharaoh,
let my people go, that they may go into the wilderness and offer
a sacrifice. There is no worship. without the substitutionary sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, a man worships God, first
of all, when he worships an absolute sovereign. You can't manipulate him. You
can't get him to respond to you. He's God. He's absolutely sovereign. And if you're worshiping a God
that you can manipulate, you're worshiping an idol, a man-made
God. Doesn't exist. The God of the
Bible is the absolute sovereign. And the only way you worship
God is when you look nowhere but the sacrifice of Christ. That only is worship. Anything
else, call it what you want. It's not worship. Abraham said,
I and the lad are going to worship. And then we're going to come
again to you. He knew that God was going to raise his son from
the dead because God promised the Messiah is coming through
him. There's no salvation if there's
no resurrection. You know, the gospel is predicated
upon the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's one
reason why I'll be saved, because Christ accomplished what he came
to accomplish. He put away my sin and he was
raised from the dead. All of my hope, all of my salvation
is predicated upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Abraham understood that. Abraham
understood that the only way he would be saved is through
that coming Messiah who's gonna come through Isaac and keep the
law for him, die in his stead, and be raised from the dead. Did Abraham know that? Sure he
did. Sure he did. He understood. That's why, that's what was behind
his act of obedience. God giving him the grace to obey
because of that. Verse six. And Abraham took the
wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac, his son. Now we read of another time when
someone carried the wood of their own execution to a mountain,
don't we? This is such an obvious type,
a glorious type of the Lord Jesus Christ as he carries his own
cross up the mountain. Isaac, what a type of Christ.
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it
upon Isaac, his son. And he took the fire in his hand
and a knife. Isaac is carrying the means of
his execution, the cross, and Abraham, the type of the father executing his son, is carrying
what would be used to execute him, the knife and the fire. And they went both of them together. Now, how did Abraham feel as
he's walking up this mountain, knowing that he was going up
there to. Slice his son's throat, quarter
him, put him on an altar and burning him up as a burnt offering
unto the Lord, what must Abraham have been thinking? Verse seven,
and Isaac spake unto Abraham, his father, and said, my father,
and I bet that pierced through his heart. And he said, here am I, my son. And Isaac knew something about
worship. He'd been taught by his father. And look at his question. Behold
the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? We got the fire, we got the wood,
but where's the lamb? Now, my dear friends, that question
should be asked with regard to every message we hear. Where's the lamb? Have we learned what Paul meant
when he said, I determined not to know anything among you, save
Jesus Christ and him crucified? Where's the lamb? And you know,
I'm to ask myself every time I prepare a message, where's
the lamb? If the lamb's not there, God
wasn't in that message. You believe that? I'm talking
about every message without exception. If the lamb's not there, God
wasn't in that. Where is the lamb? I don't know how many times I've
heard preaching and thought, where's the land? Where's the
land? Verse eight. And the whole gospel
is contained in this verse. And Abraham said, my son, God
will provide. himself a lamb for a burnt offering. Listen to me. There's nothing
you could provide that God would accept. Do you know that? There's nothing
that you could provide that God will accept. But here is the
gospel. What God requires, God provides. Everything God requires, God
provides. God will provide himself a lamb. There's nothing that you could
bring to God that he could accept. He's God, he's holy. You're not,
I'm not. But here is the gospel. What
God requires, he provides. And don't miss this. God provides for himself. For God to do something for me
or you, He had to first do something for himself. You see, God is
not going to save in a way that's contrary to any of his attributes.
It's not gonna happen. God's not gonna save in a way
where any of his attributes are compromised. I mean, he's just,
he's holy, he's righteous, he's sovereign. All of his attributes
must be honored and glorified. So God provides for himself. I love that passage of scripture
where God said, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. Not when you see it, when I see
the blood. As a matter of fact, the folks
in the house couldn't see the blood, could they? When I see the blood, you
see, God did something for himself. He made a way for himself to
be absolutely just and justify somebody unjust like me or you
in a way that honors his justice and honors his holy law. It's
called how God can be just and justify the ungodly. That's the
gospel. God provides for himself the
way for him to do something for you. Now, God's the one who does
the providing. God provides for himself and
God provides himself as the lamb. He is, where's the Lamb of God? God the Lamb. He is the Lamb
of God, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. The
universe was created for the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world, the subject of the eternities. God will provide
himself. You know what we're going to
be singing in glory? Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. Oh, I love that passage in Revelation
5 where John says, no man was found worthy. I wept much. The angel said, weep not. The
lion of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed to open the book and
loose the seals thereof. And John said, I looked, and
lo, a lamb, as it had been slain, came to the very throne of God
and took the book. He didn't ask for it. He took
it as equal with the Father. God will provide himself a lamb. for a burnt offering. So they
went both of them together and they came to the place, verse
nine, they came to the place which God had told him of, the place where the temple would
later be built. And Abraham built an altar there
and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac, his son. Now, Isaac at this time was probably
about a 20-year-old young man. Abraham was 120. Abraham was an old man. And I
don't have any doubt that Isaac could have overcome him. I mean,
if you were getting down to have your throat slit and be quartered
and burnt up, you reckon you might offer some objections?
He could have. But he didn't. He allowed his
father willingly to bind him. You see, Abraham told Isaac's
son, the promised seed is coming through you. The Messiah is coming
through you. Our Savior is coming through
you and he is going to accomplish our salvation. So I have no doubt
that upon me killing you and offering you up as a burnt offering,
God is going to immediately raise you from the dead. And you know
what? He believed his daddy. He believed
what his father said. He knew that the promised Messiah
was coming through him. He knew that he wouldn't remain
dead because he didn't have any seed yet. He knew he would be
raised from the dead. And he did all of this willingly. Everything Jesus Christ did,
he did willingly. He said, no man takes my life
from me. I have power to lay it down.
I have power to take it up again. This commandment have I received
of my father. I'm no victim in this. This is
my will being done. Isaac willingly was bound. Let's go on reading. Verse 10,
and Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay
his son. I imagine Isaac was looking up
while this was taking place, looking at the knife, dreading
what was going to take place. I'm sure Abraham felt pain that
we can't even fathom. But the deed was done in his
heart and now it's going to take place. And Abraham stretched
forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son and the angel
of the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ 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 has not withheld thy son, thy only son from me. Now he knew this before it took
place, but he says now I know. And what a type Abraham is as
the father for God so loved the world. that He gave His only
begotten Son. He spared not His Son. He spared
not His Son. Oh, Abraham provides us with
a beautiful type of God the Father, giving us God the Son. Verse 13, And Abraham lifted
up his eyes and looked. Now that's the same word used
in Numbers 21 when whoever looked at that serpent on a pole when
he was bitten, lived. And Abraham lifted up his eyes
and looked and behold, behind him, behind him. I want me and you to understand
this. The reason for salvation is behind us. It's not something
out in front that we need yet to do. It's already accomplished. The reason for salvation is behind. Don't look anywhere else but
him. It's already done. There's not
something for you to do. Quit doing! It's done. It's behind you. This is a crude
illustration, but when Lynn had that surgery, we'd been waiting
so long for that, and I remember I thought, I'm so glad that's
behind us. It's behind us. You might die tomorrow. I realize
that this is a human illustration. And so human illustration never
work all the way. But I thought that's so good
to have that in the rear view mirror. It's well, the way of
salvation is behind you. It's already done. It's finished.
It's accomplished. And Abraham lifted up his eyes
and look and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by
his Horns. I have no doubt that that represents
the thorn crowned brow of the Lord Jesus Christ caught in a
thicket by his horns that symbolizes his power. Oh, how powerful the
Lord Jesus is that he can allow himself to be crowned with thorns
and put away the sins of his people. And Abraham went and took the
ram and offered him up for a burnt offering. in the stead of His
Son. Now, my dear friends, that is
the gospel. He offered Him up in the stead
of His Son. You see, the Lord Jesus took
the sins of the elect, my sin, And it became his sin. And I say that with fear and
trembling. The Lord Jesus took my sin and it became his sin. He owned it as his own. Somebody says, how can that be?
Well the scripture says, when thou shalt make him an offering
for sin. Here's how it could be, God did
it. For he hath made him to be sin, who knew no sin, that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him. God did this. How? He's God. With God, nothing shall
be impossible. God did this. He took my sins
and my sorrows and made them his very own. He bore the burden to Calvary
and suffered and died alone. He took my sin. God took them off of me. and gave them to him and he willingly
took them. Isaac must go free. He must go free. Now I know that Abraham rejoiced
when God stopped him. You know who else did? Isaac. Oh, he was happy. He might have
been happy. Well, I'm not going to say he's
happier than Abraham, but he was just as happy. He offered him up for a burnt
offering in the stead of his son, and Abraham called the name
of that place Jehovah. Jaira. The Lord will see to it. The Lord will see to it. The
Lord will provide. This is one of the seven names
of Jehovah. Jehovah Jaira. The Lord will
provide. He'll see to it. Has anybody
ever asked you something? They want you to do something?
I'll see to it. That's what the Lord God says. I'll see to it.
You don't need to worry. I'll see to it, and all of our
salvation. I want you to look at Isaac. How much did Isaac depend upon
the Lord to raise him from the dead? Now that picture's the
Lord, I know, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. The
Lord did, but how dependent was Isaac on the Lord to raise him
from the dead? Well, that's how dependent you
and I are for God to save us. That's a good place to be, isn't
it? Let's close by reading John chapter
eight. John chapter eight. Beginning in verse 56. Your father, Abraham, rejoiced
to see my day. And I have no doubt that he's
talking about Genesis 22. Your father, Abraham, rejoiced
to see my day. And he saw it. He was glad. Oh, Isaac was glad too. I can
just imagine him going down that mountain, floating, rejoicing,
happy. Then said the Jews unto him,
thou art not yet 50 years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus
said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham
was, I am. Then took they up stones
to cast at him. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
gospel of thy dear son. How we thank you that he. Willingly
took our place, how we thank you that you willingly gave him.
And Lord. All we can say is thank you for
your grace. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.