When you turn back to 1 Timothy
2, I have entitled this message, Saving
Knowledge. Saving Knowledge. I'd like to read verses 4 through
6 once again. It says concerning God, our Savior,
who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge
of the truth. Now here are two things that
can't be separated, being saved and coming to the knowledge of
the truth. And the knowledge of the truth
has something to do with this, For there's one God. I'm going
to know the one true and living God and one mediator between
God and men. I'm going to know something about
Christ being a mediator. I'm going to understand something
about that. Who gave himself a ransom for all. I'm going to understand something
about him being a ransom. Saving knowledge. Verse three, for this is good
and acceptable in the sight of our God, who will have all men
to be saved. Someone is thinking. How do you
understand that verse of scripture in light of election? Not everybody's
elect. How do you understand that verse
in light of predestination? God didn't predestinate everybody
to life. How do you understand that verse
in light of Christ's effectual atonement for the elect? He said,
I laid down my life for the sheep. I didn't lay it down for goats.
I laid it down for the sheep. Now, how do you understand that
in light of election, predestination, and particular redemption? You
understand it in the light of predestination, election, and
particular redemption. That's how you understand it.
Whom he did foreknow. Did he foreknow everybody? No. He said to one crowd, depart
from me, I never knew you. Never at any time, not before
time began, not now. That word no has something to
do with love. Adam knew Eve. Eve knew her. In Romans 9, verses 11 to 13,
when we read of Jacob and Esau, he never decreed Esau's salvation.
For the children being not yet born, neither having done any
good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand not of works. But of him that will call it
that was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger, as it's
written, Jacob have I loved. This is God speaking, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. Our Lord said, this is the will
of him that sent me, that of all which he had given me, I
should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day.
Does that refer to all men without exception? No, his people, those
the father gave him. There are sheep and there are
goats. There are those who believe and there are those who do not
believe. There is heaven and there is hell and both of those
places will have a population. Now somebody says, well, it means
what it says. No, it says what it means. Big difference. It says what
it means. And we know that it does not
mean God's will is going to be frustrated in salvation. Whoever
he wills to be saved will be saved. He doesn't have a desire
of the salvation of certain that's frustrated and doesn't come to
pass. You know that from the light of other scripture. Now,
whenever we look at scripture, we have to be able to throw the
whole book against it. What does it mean in light of other scriptures? I know that if somebody preaches
universal redemption, now listen real carefully. If somebody preaches,
I don't care who he is. I don't care who she is. If somebody
preaches that Jesus Christ died for everybody and made salvation
available for everybody, but it's up to you to do something
in order to make what he did work for you The gospel has left. You see, the only gospel there
is that I know anything about is that when Christ died, he
accomplished my salvation. I know for sure that if he died
for me and I might wind up in hell anyway, if I don't do my
part, I will wind up in hell. I know that. I have no doubt
about it. So this scripture must be understood
in light of the truth. Well, what does it mean? Well, look in verse one of chapter
two, I exhort therefore that first of all supplications and
prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men.
Now there's the same phrase, all men, who will have all men
to be saved. Now, is he telling us that we
ought to be praying for people in hell? Well, you know better
than that. I remember one time somebody
asked me, they said, can we pray for my brother who's dead? And
I said, no, he's where he is. Our prayers won't have anything
to do with where He'll be. We're not to pray for people
in hell. You know, there's also people we're commanded not to
pray for. John actually says don't pray for them. Those who
have sinned against the Holy Spirit. So obviously, all men
doesn't mean all men without exception. It means all sorts
of men. All kinds of men. Jews as well
as Gentiles. And I got to thinking about this,
God who will have all men to be saved. If you asked me the
question, would you have all men to be saved? I'd say yes.
Yeah, I'd like for everybody to be saved. Do I believe that
I'm more benevolent than God? No, not in any way. Well, this
appears contradictory. Well, it's not. It's not. It may appear that way, but the
problem is with me and you, not with the scriptures. God doesn't
contradict himself. I know election and predestination
is the truth, but you know, I don't come to Christ on the ground
that I'm elect or predestinated. I come to Christ on the ground
that I'm a sinner, and He has promised mercy for sinners. He
came to save sinners, and that's why I come. I come because He
promised, He that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. That's
why I come, because He made that promise. And I'm flat. I love this scripture. He will
have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the
truth. Well, that appears to contradict other truths. No,
it doesn't. No, it doesn't. And if it appears that way, it's
because the problem's with us. It's not with the truth. He will
have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth. I believe all men refers to Jews and Gentiles. All men,
not Jews only, but Gentiles as well. Look in 1 Timothy 3.16,
here's why I think this. And without controversy, great
is the mystery of godliness. First Timothy 3.16, God was manifest
in the flesh. We're amazed by that, aren't
we? God became a man. God was manifest in the flesh. Justified in the spirit, seen
of angels. And look what else is included
in this great mystery of godliness preached unto the Gentiles. We
don't normally think of that as amazing. I mean, we're a bunch
of Gentiles. But this was part of the great
mystery of godliness that the gospel would be preached to Gentile
dogs like me and you. What a glorious thing. And what
Paul is saying, I have no doubt. is that he's speaking of Gentiles
as well as Jews, bond as well as free, just all sorts, all
kinds of men. God will have all men to be saved.
Aren't you thankful for that? He's going to have a people out
of every kindred, tongue, tribe, and nation. Scripture points
that out. Whatever kind of people, whatever kind of culture, God
is going to have a people out of them. He will have all men
to be saved and to come to the knowledge of Now here are two
things that can't be separated, salvation and coming to the knowledge
of the truth. If I'm saved, if the Lord does
something for me, I'm going to come to a saving knowledge of
the truth. Turn to 2 Timothy 2. Verse 24. And the servant of the Lord must
not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient
in meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves. If God, per adventure, will give
them repentance, a change of mind to the acknowledging of
the truth. Where there's repentance, true
repentance before God, there is always an acknowledging and
embracing of the truth. Look in Titus chapter one, verse
one, Paul, A servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, according
to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledging of the truth. Here's the faith of God's elect,
the acknowledging of the truth, which is after godliness. Now
turn back to 2 Timothy 3 once again. Paul warns us of those who, in
verse five, have a form of godliness, just a form. Not the real thing,
but it looks like it. But denying the power thereof,
from such turn away, for of this sort are they which creep into
houses and lead captive silly women, laden with sins, led away
with diverse lusts, ever learning, and what? Never able to come
to the knowledge of the truth. Whenever God saves someone, they're
going to come to a knowledge of the truth. Now, when I'm talking
about coming to the knowledge of the truth, understand this.
That doesn't mean you get your doctrine straightened out. You
go from one position to another. Now you have the correct position.
That's not coming to the knowledge of the truth. Now, if you come
to the knowledge of the truth, you'll believe the right doctrine.
But coming to the knowledge of the truth isn't giving assent
to the right and correct facts. It's really not. You see, Christ
is the truth. It's not just getting your doctrine
straightened out. It's knowing the truth. The Lord
said, you shall know the truth. and the truth shall make you
free. It's not your knowledge of the
truth that'll make you free, it's the truth himself. The truth
is a person. The Lord said, I am the way,
the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but
by me. You shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free. Now there's so much we could
say about the knowledge of the truth, but I want to confine
ourselves to what the text says. So look back to 1 Timothy chapter
2. God will have all men to be saved
and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. And here's what
the truth is. For there is one God and one
mediator between God and men, the man. Christ Jesus, who gave
himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time, where
into I'm ordained a preacher, this is my message, and an apostle,
I speak the truth in Christ, I lie not, a teacher of the Gentiles
in faith and verity. Now, there's one God. There's one God. Turn with me
for a moment to Deuteronomy chapter six. Verse 3, Hear therefore, O Israel,
and observe to do it, that it may be well with thee, and that
you may increase mightily as the Lord God of thy fathers hath
promised thee in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. And thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy might. And these words which I command
thee this day shall be in thy heart. The Lord is one Lord.
Now somebody says, well, I believe God, there's only one God. And
he's the God of the Bible. The one Lord is the Lord as he
reveals himself in this book. This is God's revelation of himself. This is God's self revelation.
And all I'm ever going to know of the living God is what he's
pleased to make known in this book we call the Bible. Now,
He's one Lord. He's one. He's as the Bible declares
him to be. He's sovereign. That's the only
Lord. He's holy. He's just. He's merciful and
gracious. He's all powerful. He's all knowing. All wise, you can't go anywhere
where he's not. He's omnipresent. He is as the
Bible declares him to be. And it's not just knowing that,
but it's loving that. You know, the knowledge of the
truth is the same thing. Coming to the knowledge of the
truth is the same thing as loving the truth. Let me show you something
in 2 Thessalonians 2. Would you turn back a few pages
to that 2 Thessalonians 2. This is talking about the coming
of Antichrist beginning in verse eight. And then shall that wicked
be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his
mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.
Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all
power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish. And here's why they perish
because they received not the love of the truth. Catch that. Not just they didn't receive
the truth, they didn't receive the love of the truth that they
might be saved. And for this cause, God shall
send them strong delusion as a judgment against them for not
receiving the love of the truth. God shall send them strong delusion
that they should believe a lie. This is God's judgment against
them. He'll allow them to believe a lie that they all might be
damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Now there's one God. That's the
God of the Bible. And I must love him as he's revealed
in the Bible. That's why I love the holiness
of God. That's who he is. Let me say
this. If you have a God that can be
pleased with anything you do, you got the wrong God. God is
holy. He's unapproachable. And I love
His holiness. I love His sovereignty. I don't
love the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. I love the God who is
sovereign, the one who controls, who rules, who reigns. I love
the power of God, the fact that He's all-powerful. Whatever He
wills, He has the power to make it come to pass. I love the fact
that He's absolutely just. That's the way the Bible presents
Him. He's absolutely righteous. This is the God of the Bible.
There's one Lord. Here, O Israel, the Lord thy
God is one God, and we're called upon to love Him with all our
heart and all of our soul and all of our strength. There's
one God, the God of the Bible. And if you want to know who the
God of the Bible is, well, number one, read the Bible. Read the
Bible, find out who he is. Ask God to teach you who he is
and hear the gospel because there's no understanding and true knowledge
of God apart from the gospel of his son. If you want to know
who God is, you find out what the cross means. Why did the
Lord Jesus Christ die on the cross? That's the full revelation
of God. Ask yourself that question. Why
did he die? What did he accomplish? Who did he die for? There's one
God. And next, there is one Mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Now, I know there's
one God, the God of the Bible, and I'm gonna understand something
about this thing of the Lord Jesus Christ, the man Christ
Jesus, God became flesh, second person of the Trinity, and he
is the Mediator. There's one God and there's one
mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. Now, a mediator has two meanings
in the scriptures, and both of these are realized in the Lord
Jesus Christ. First, it means a go-between. It means I can't
come to God alone. I have to have somebody go for
me. God can't come to me just the
way I am. Somebody has to come for me. A mediator is a go-between and
a mediator is a guarantee or a surety. The Lord Jesus Christ
is called the mediator of the better covenant, of the better
testament. It's better because he's the
surety of it. Here's why the New Testament's better than the
Old Testament. Because salvation's not dependent upon my works,
it's dependent upon His works. And that makes it better, doesn't
it? Wouldn't you whole lots rather your salvation depending upon
what Christ does rather than what you do? Oh, there's no difference. But Christ is the mediator. One God, one mediator between
men and God, the man, Christ, Jesus. Now, He's a go-between. As God, He is one with the Father. As man, He's one with us. As God, He meets the claims of
God. As man, He meets the needs of
man. Now, how good do you have to
be for God to accept you? You have to be as good as God. He is. And if he represents you,
you're as good as gone. No man cometh to the Father,
but by me. When He comes to the Father,
all believers come to the Father right with Him. We're in Him. He's all that God needs, and
He's all that God requires. He's all that man needs, and
He's all that man requires. You see, as God, if He represents
me, God can hear me. God can accept me as I'm in Him.
But not only that, He's what I need. You see, the scripture
says, such a priest became us who can have compassion on the
ignorant and on them that are out of the way. That's the kind
of priest I need. This is the mediator I need. I need one who
can come into God's presence and God accept him. And I got
to have one who'll be merciful and gracious and kind toward
me when I'm in my ignorance and I'm out of the way and he'll
do something for me. What a Mediator we have. There's
one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man, Christ
Jesus. The Mediator is the Christ. Now
Christ isn't his last name. Christ is his offices. He's God's
prophet. I need him as my prophet to bring
the word of God to me, don't you? I need him to speak to me. I need him to give me God's word.
He's God's priest. I need him as a priest. I need
for him to represent me before God. I can't come to God on my
own. He would have to send me to hell
if I tried to come because of my sin. But he represents me
as my priest. I need him as my priest. He's
God's king and I need him as my king to rule and reign in
my heart and cause me to do his will. I need him to cause me
to believe and to cause me to repent. I need him as my king.
He's the man, Christ Jesus. Oh, how I love His name, Jesus,
Savior. That has to do with salvation
from sin. Matthew 121. Thou shalt call
His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins."
Now there's one God. This is saving knowledge. The
God of the Bible. The Living God. Who He is as
He's revealed in His Word. There's no salvation apart from
knowing the Living God. Our Lord said in John 17 3, this
is eternal life that they might know Thee. The only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I must know the one God,
and I must know something about the mediator, the go-between,
the guarantee of the Testament. And then what it says next in
1 Timothy chapter 2, who will have all men to be saved and
to come unto the knowledge of the truth, for there's one God,
and there's one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself a ransom. for all to be testified in due
time. Now, he gave himself. He did so willingly. He did so
lovingly. He did so voluntarily. He did
so intelligently, knowing everything that was gonna take place, and
him giving himself as this ransom for all. Now, when we think of
the ransom, I know what we think generally. We think of somebody
who's kidnapped. Kidnap somebody and they say, well, a million
dollar ransom. You're going to have to pay this
to get them back. That's what we think of when we think of a ransom.
And that idea is included in that, but this word ransom is
only found three times in the New Testament. You remember there
in Matthew chapter 20, verse 28, where he said, even as the
son of man came not to minister, but to be ministered unto and
to give his life a ransom. for many. Notice he didn't say
for everybody, but for many. And the same thing is said in
Matthew 10, 45. He gave his life a ransom for many. But here,
the word's the same word, but it has something, it has a prefix
before it that has to do with the vicarious nature of his ransom
as a substitute. It means a ransom in the stead
of, a ransom in the place of. And when I was thinking about
this, I couldn't help but think about Genesis 22. And if somebody
said, give me a passage of scripture you'd love to preach the gospel
from, what true saving knowledge is, the passage that would come
to my mind, one of the first passages would be Genesis 22.
So would you turn with me there? This is how the Lord Jesus Christ
is a ransom. If you want to understand what
a ransom is, a substitutionary ransom, you'll understand from
this passage of scripture. Genesis chapter 22. And it came to pass after these
things, Abraham was a very old man at this time and he'd gone
through very much. It says that God did tempt Abraham
and said unto him, Abraham. Now, every time Abraham heard
the voice of the Lord out loud, It was always right before some
great trial he was getting ready to face. Abraham, pack up and
start walking. Go to a land I'll show you. And I don't have any doubt that
when Abraham heard the voice of God, he winced. What's getting ready to take
place? He was afraid. Abraham, And he said unto Abraham,
and said unto Abraham, and he said, Abraham said, behold, here
I am. And he said, take now thy son,
thy only son, Isaac. Now Ishmael had been born, but
God does not acknowledge Ishmael as a son. Why is that? Because Ishmael represents the
law. Ishmael represents Mount Sinai. Ishmael represents man doing
his part. And if man has to do his part,
He won't do it. He'll never be a son. You see,
you can never be a son of God by the law. That's why Ishmael
is never acknowledged as a son. You can't be a son by the law. You can't be a son by your works.
Ishmael is not acknowledged. 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,
I want you to put yourself in Abraham's place. Which of us
have not thought when we would read that passage of scripture,
would I do that? Would I be that obedient to where
if God told me to kill my son, would I do it? Let me say this,
if God gave you the grace, you would. He would take the grace
of God, but if God gave you the grace, you would kill your own
child in obedience to him. But that's what he told Abraham
to do. He said, you go into the land of Moriah. Now, I think
it's interesting, this land of Moriah, Mount Moriah, we learn
in the book of Chronicles that Jerusalem would one day be built
upon this place right here. Jerusalem wasn't around yet.
And many think that this Mount Moriah where he was to offer
up his son is nothing less than Mount Calvary. And I certainly
wouldn't argue against that. But he says to Abraham, I can't
even imagine that what offer him up as a burn offer him, kill
him and set him on fire to me. Can you imagine God calling upon
you to do that? I feel quite sure he didn't tell
Sarah anything about it. Now look at Abraham's obedience.
Verse three, 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. He made sure
everything he had, everything he needed. And he rose up and
he went into the place of which God had told him. Then on the
third day, can you imagine three days with that on your mind,
knowing that you're being called upon to Not murder, but kill
your son in obedience to God and set him on fire and offer
him up as a burnt offering. What must have been going through
Abraham's mind during those three days? How am I going to do this? But he'd made up his mind he
was going to do it by the grace of God. Verse five. Well, verse four, then on the
third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and he saw the place
afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, those two men
that went with him, abide ye here with the ass. I and the
lad will go yonder and worship." You want to know what worship
is? Here it is. This is the first
time the word worship is mentioned in the scripture. I and the lad
will go yonder and worship and come again to you. Now, wait
a minute. God said, Go kill your son, set him on fire, offer him
up as a burnt offering to me. And yet he tells these people,
I'm the lad, we'll go yonder and worship, and we'll return
again to you. We'll be back. Now, was he just
saying that to kind of not let them know what was going on?
No. We know from the New Testament
that he believed that God was going to raise his boy from the
dead. Now, let me show you that. Turn to Hebrew. Hold your finger
there in Genesis 22 and turn to Hebrews 11. Verse 17, by faith Abraham, when
he was tried, offered up Isaac. That's what we've just been reading
about. God tempted him, said, offer up your boy. He 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." Now here's what happened. God before had
promised to Abraham the Messiah will come through Isaac. Abraham
believed God. Abraham believed that God would
never go back on his word. Abraham did what believers do.
He believed God. And Abraham knew that God had
made the promise. The Messiah is going to come
through Isaac. And Abraham knew even if he killed
him, God would raise him up from the dead because God is never
going to go back on his word. Abraham believed God. So he tells these people, and
he meant it, we're going to go worship and come back. He believed
God would raise him from the dead. Verse six, 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, and they went both of them together. Do you remember another time
one carried the wood to be used for his own execution up a mountain? What a type of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Verse seven, and Isaac spake
unto Abraham his father and said, my father. And he said, here am I, my son.
And he said, behold, the fire. and the wood. But where is the
lamb for a burnt offering? Don't you know that ripped through
his heart as his son asked him that question? He knew that he
was going to have to put his son to death. Father, here's
the fire. Here's the wood. Where's the
lamb for the burnt offering? And Abraham said, verse eight,
my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. And let me say three things about
that. Number one, God's the one who does the providing. You see,
you and I cannot provide anything that a holy God would accept.
He couldn't, he's holy. If you've got a God that can
accept anything that you do in and of yourself, you don't have
the God of the Bible because the God of the Bible is holy. Holy. And the only way he can
accept something is he can accept that which he provides. God will provide the land for
the burnt offering. Second thing I'd like to say
about that is God provides himself. He provides for himself this
lamb for the burn offering. You see, for God to do something
for me or you, he's first got to do something for himself.
You see, God's holy and God's got a holy law that must be honored.
If I have sinned, it must be punished. God can't accept me
the way I am. He's got to first do something
for himself. And you see the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, it was shed for his people, but more than anything else,
it was shed for God. God said, when I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. The blood was for God. You see,
God couldn't accept me. God couldn't receive me. God
would not save me apart from His justice being satisfied.
So He provided the sacrifice and He did it for Himself. Now
He can accept me. Now He can embrace me. Now a
holy God can welcome me because He did something for Himself
through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. I love that verse
of Scripture where God said, when I see the blood. Not when
you see it. When I see the blood, you see
the blood is something God had to see. When I see the blood,
I will pass over you. God provided for himself the
lamb. And here's the most amazing thing.
God provided himself as the lamb. He is the lamb of God, the lamb
of God's providing. God will provide himself as the
lamb for the burnt offering. And did Abraham know what he
was saying at that time? I don't know, but I know that
God did. God knew exactly what he's saying. Well, let's go on
reading. Verse nine, and they came to
the place which God had told him of. And Abraham built an
altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac, his
son, and laid him upon the altar, upon the wood." Now, can you
imagine him tying up his boy? Did Isaac resist? Well, I know
if he followed the type of the Lord Jesus Christ, he didn't
resist. And I know that the Lord laid down his life voluntarily.
And I have no doubt that Abraham explained to him, son, I'm going
to kill you in obedience to God's command. And God's going to raise
you from the dead. And so I think he trusted what
his father said. Abraham was an old man at this
time. I imagine Isaac could have overcome him if he wanted to,
but he let him tie him up and lay him down on that altar. And he did so willingly. Verse
10, and Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to
slay his son. Can you imagine how painful that
was? In his mind, he'd already done
it. He held the knife up to slay his son. And right when he was
getting ready to plunge it in the breast of his son to kill
him, verse 11, and the angel of the Lord called unto him out
of heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. He hears his voice again. And he said, here am I. Now this angel of the Lord is
the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Lord Jesus Christ
appearing to him. 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 has not withheld thy son, thy only son
from me. That tells you who it is. It's
the Lord Jesus Christ. And Abraham, lifted up his eyes
and looked. Now, understand this. This is
what faith is. It's looking. It's looking. It's not doing. It's looking. Oh, would to God that you and
I would look to the Lord Jesus Christ even now. It's a look. And Abraham lifted up his eyes
and looked and behold, Not in front of him, but behind him. Now I want you to understand
this. I want me to understand this. The reason for salvation
is always behind. It's always behind. It's always,
it's something that's already been done. You see, Christ's
lamb slain from the foundation of the world and his hope was
something behind, not out before him, but something that's already
been done. The Lord said, it is finished. That means it's behind, it's
done, it's accomplished. That ram was behind him. And Abraham lifted up his eyes
and looked and behold him behind him a ram caught in a thicket
by his horns. And Abraham went and took the
ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his
son. Now that is the ransom, the ransom
in the stead of his son. And the Lord Jesus Christ, He was nailed to that cross by
his father. I know wicked men did it, but they were only his
instruments. Just as Abraham bound his son
Isaac and laid him on the altar, God the father nailed his son
to a cross. Now somebody says, why, why would
he have done that? Because he was made sin. My guilt, my iniquity, my individual
sins were placed in his own body on the tree. They became his
so that he became guilty of them. And the father gave him no mercy. God nailed him to the cross,
but unlike Abraham, Abraham stopped. God, the father plunged the dagger
of his justice into the heart of his son and he killed him. But the Lord was raised from
the dead. He lay in the tomb three days,
dead. What happened during those three
days? I have no idea. But I know this. When He was
raised from the dead, that meant He satisfied all the claims of
God's justice. God said, I can ask for nothing
more. Justice satisfied. And that's
what this ram pictured, the substitutionary, vicarious, sacrificial death
of the Lord Jesus Christ in behalf of his people. Now, saving knowledge
has something to do with the one God. It has something to
do with knowing the one mediator between God and man. men, the
man Christ Jesus. And it has something to do with
understanding something about this ransom that we see pictured
so clearly in Abraham verse 14. And Abraham called the name of
that place, Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide, the Lord
will see to it. And indeed he did provide. Turn to John chapter eight. John chapter eight, we're going
to close with this. The Lord is speaking to the Pharisees, and he says in verse 51, Verily
I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, he shall never see
death. Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast
a devil. Abraham's dead, and the prophets.
And thou sayest, if a man keep my saying, he shall never taste
of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is
dead, and the prophets are dead? Who makest thou thyself? Jesus
answered, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It's my father that honoreth
me, of whom you say that he's your God. Yet you've not known
him, but I know him. And if I should say I know him
not, I'd be a liar like unto you. But I know him and keep
his saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced
to see my day. Don't you reckon Abraham rejoiced
with regard to this substitutionary ram? I bet if he could do backflips,
he was doing backflips down that mountain. He was so happy. He
was rejoicing. He rejoiced to see Christ's day. And he knew that this ram pointed
to the coming Messiah. He knew that ram wasn't the actual
Savior. He knew the Messiah, the Lord
Jesus Christ, was coming. You know who else rejoiced? Isaac. Don't you reckon he was awful
happy about this? Well, you know he was. Your father Abraham rejoiced
to see my day. And he saw it. Oh, he was glad. Then said the Jews unto him,
Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before
Abraham was, I am. That's the same I am of the bush. I am that I am. Tell them that
I am hath sent thee. Then took they up stones to cast
at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, going
through the midst of them and so passed by. Now, when it says
God will have all men to be saved, I think it's interesting that
that be saved is in the passive. Obviously there's nothing you
can do to be saved. It's God saving you. I'll tell you this,
if he saves you, he's going to save you through the knowledge
of the truth, the truth of who God is. The truth of the one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, and the
truth of his glorious ransom in the stead of sinners. May
God give every one of us the grace to come to the saving knowledge
of the truth. Now remember, the truth is not
just getting your doctrine straight. The truth is the truth himself
doing something for you. Let's pray.